Inescapable Grasp of Eva, Holiday Specials
by Marine Brother Shran
Summary: A collection of specials for my fanfiction, Inescapable Grasp of Eva


**Inescapable Grasp of Eva**

Christmas Special

**Sorry, sorry, sorry, so sorry for the lateness, BUT my internet wiring was fucked up that I couldn't upload anything onto the bloody internet. So that meant that I was pretty screwed, but o well, at least I uploaded the story. So please enjoy my Christmas Special.**

**Hey guys, well this is my Christmas special for my story, Inescapable Grasp of Eva. There will be characters you are not familiar with; I will not be explaining who they are as they're identities will be explained at the right time. Plus you will notice a huge jump in character development. Hey don't forget, my story initially takes place during the summer, this is 6 months later LOL. And one more thing, SPOILERS! MUA HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA! Yes indeed, I have placed in some spoilers, but that is needed in order to make this work out, or because I felt generous and decided to give out some of my ideas. Anyways, enjoy the story and Merry Christmas. Oh and if I have time I might even do a New Years special.**

**Andy: Hello!**

**Ah… yes… and my sister will be editing this… I added her in without her initially knowing, so I must compensate with… her… helping…**

**Andy: Indeed! Hello, My name is Andy! Or in I am called rivetting silence… yes I spelled riveting wrong, but I'm too lazy to change it. I've been fixing this bozo's spelling since the beginning. Though I don't quite catch everything I do my best… other than a few of his stories that I just can't bare to look at. I'll add a few of my notes. Instead of A/N it'll be An/N for Andy's note. So… oh! Please note, I'm really not as bad as I portray myself. My brother apparently feels like turning me into a maniac after I insert my inner bitch here and there. (Clocks him over the head) So… Have fun!**

**Also, I will be using various languages, it will be as followed:**

"**Japanese"**

"**_English_"**

"**_Mandarin_"**

"**_Vietnamese_"**

"**_German_"**

It was a week since Asuka's triumphant yet painful victory over the 4th Hellspawn Advocate. It was the last day of school and everyone was lounging around in the class, talking with their friends, surfing the internet, and a few other leisurely activities. Jon, Toji, Kensuke and two others were in the top corner of the lecture hall playing poker with the poker set Jon had brought along with him from Canada. Asuka, Hikari, Natasha, and Jane talked amongst themselves about things no boy should ever hear. Sam as usual slept, while James read Jon's Warhammer 40,000 rulebook.

Shinji and Rei were off in their own world as they sat there, Rei on his lap, kissing one another, enjoying each other's company, oblivious to the world around them. As they kissed, they felt nothing but joy and contentment as their lips remained locked as their tongues played, exploring the depths of their partner's mouths as they caressed the skin of their gums, the roof of their mouths, and even the soft underbelly of the tongue.

It was 2:45 when Mizuki-sensei rose from her desk in the bottom corner of the hall, to her spot in front of the podium in the middle front of the hall, and told everyone to sit down in their assigned seats. Many groaned and complained as they put away their things sitting down in their appropriate seats. Rei got off Shinji and sat down next to him, but their eyes and hands remained locked together. Mizuki approached Sam and smacked him on the side of the head and waited for him to wake up and was ready to pay attention. She then moves on, stopping and coughing in front of Shinji and Rei. Once satisfied their eyes and attention were on her, she proceeded towards the front.

"First off, sorry for interrupting your fun," Mizuki began, "But this class has been selected to perform at the school's yearly Cherry Blossom Festival." The class instantly groaned in displeasure. They horribly disliked the concept of the school play, as each year it was common for the play to end up being the worst exhibit during the festival.

"I'm sure you guys now all realize the purpose of the audition assignment. I have already selected the parts, and the story. Everyone open up your laptops, and prepare to receive the play." Everyone grumbled as the class lazily opened up their laptops and logged on. Mizuki then pressed a few buttons on her podium, bringing down the projector screen before dimming the lights and engaging the projector.

"The story, The Crucible is by American playwright Arthur Miller," the screen displaying the title, both in Japanese and English, the word Crucible had flames at the top of each letter and character, "I won't tell you any anything about the play, because I expect you to read it over the break," she then tapped a key as it displayed a list of names, "These are the names of the characters. When I tap this key again, your names will appear. Do note however that not everyone got in, understand?" Everyone nodded as she tapped the key, revealing the cast.

**(A/N: Please forgive me, but I ran out of names, and I was too lazy to make up my names, so I will be pulling names from other Animes, but they will have no bearing in the story.)**

Reverend ParrisKensuke Aida

Betty Parris

Tituba

Abigail WilliamsAsuka Soryu

Susanna WalcottJamie Kinomoto

Mrs. Ann PutnamSakura Kinomoto

Thomas PutnamSyaoran Li

Mercy LewisJane Tao

Marry WarrenNatasha Kanatnikov

John ProctorShinji Ikari

Rebecca NurseHikari Horaki

Giles CoryEriol Hiirizigawa

Reverend John HaleJon Dang

Elizabeth ProctorRei Ayanami

Francis NurseYoh Asukura

Ezekiel Cheever

Marshal HerrickJames Sherwood

Judge HathorneToji Suzuhara

Deputy Governor DanforthSamuel Jackson

Sarah GoodTomoyo Daidojo

Hopkins

"Umm…Mizuki-sensei," came Shinji's voice.

"Hai, student Ikari?"

"Why is there a star by my name?"

Mizuki smiled as she replied, "That means you play the main character, therefore, the star of our production."

"NANI!" the entire class boomed in surprise upon hearing this. Shinji was instantly showered with congratulations and remarks of envy save for Asuka who teased him as normal. Jon stated that he was a lucky bastard for having a particular someone as his support lead.

After the noise died down, Rei asked a question of her own, "Mizuki-sensei, what is Elizabeth's relationship to John?"

Mizuki smiled even wider as she replied, "You play the role of the wife." What little noise there was in the classroom had instantly fell silent. It was a rather eerie silence as they slowly let the fact that Shinji and Rei were husband and wife in the play. Shinji and Rei themselves were blushing, while Jon was smiling as broadly as Mizuki-sensei.

"WHAT!" Asuka screamed causing people to jump in surprised as nearby people covered their poor ears, "YOU MEAN THE BAKA GETS LEAD AND WONDER GIRL GETS THE SUPPORT LEAD! WHAT IS WRONG WITH THAT?"

Mizuki directed her gaze towards Asuka and raised an eyebrow, "You have a problem? Do you believe that you are better suited to play Elizabeth than Rei is?"

"Of course I am," Asuka stated with a smug look on her face, then placing a hand over her heart, "After all, I took acting classes back in Germany." The class groaned, all of them familiar with her attitude towards the fact she had a higher education than everyone else did.

"That may be, however your audition proved otherwise," Asuka raised an eyebrow, "Your audition video didn't exactly portray passion, kindness, emotion, emotional control, or even a love for what you did. I had all of you pick a scene from your favourite show, movie, play, or sing a song for a reason. In your case, an excerpt from that German show of yours showed me what kind of actor you are."

"Exactly what kind of person is Wonder Girl? She rarely shows her emotions except to lover boy there!" pointing towards Shinji. Mizuki let out a sigh of exasperation. Asuka's arrogance was going too far and she knew she had to be taken off her high horse before things got bad.

"I had a funny feeling this would happen," tapping a key on her podium, "Therefore I have elected to play this." She then pressed a few more buttons as it switched to Rei singing Fields of Hope, by Lacus Clyne.

**(A/N: I know, I know that the song is from Gundam SEED Destiny, but I can't help it. I love this song and I find it rather fitting for Rei to sing it, plus I have a use for this song later.)**

_konna ni tsumetai tobari no fukaku deBeneath a veil so cold,_

_anata wa hitori de nemutteruYou deeply sleep, all alone_

_inori no utagoe sabishii nohara woThe melody of prayer; on the lonely fields,_

_chiisa na hikari ga terashitetaa little light shined_

Everyone watched in awe as they listened to her sing with the heart and passion of one dedicated to her work. Everyone was left speechless, amazed by her singing. Even the stone cold, cruel hearted Sam let down his demeanour as he watched someone who belonged to a race he hated sing with grace and beauty he had never seen in his life before.

_anata no yume wo mitetaI watched as you dreamed_

_kodomo no you ni warattetaYou laughed like a child_

_natsukashiku mada tookuSo dear, and yet so far -_

_sore wa mirai no yakusokuThat is the promise of our future_

Shinji gently squeezed Rei's hand, as they watched it, and looked out of the corner of his eye to see Rei blush. Mizuki smiled at Rei's modesty as she continued to watch the video through the screen on her podium.

_itsuka midori no asa niThat one day, on a green morning,_

_itsuka tadoritsukeru toOne day, we will make it there_

_fuyugareta kono sora woBecause in this wintered sky_

_shinjiteiru karaWe still believe_

_Fields of hopeFields of Hope_

Asuka was furious. She was beaten by Rei again. Rei had to bail her out before she could destroy the Advocate. Rei had won Shinji's heart before she did, she had proven herself as a powerful pilot, one who was nearly infallible, she had the highest sync ratio now, and now, Rei had beaten her again by taking the female lead role, which Asuka believed she so richly deserved.

_umarete kita hi ni dakishimete kuretaOn the day we were born, we were embraced_

_yasashii ano te wo sagashiteruAnd now we search for those gentle hands again_

_inori no utagoe hitotsu kiete mata hajimaruThe melody of prayer; one vanishes,_

_tayorinaku setsunaku tsuzukuAnd all begins again; a powerless, painful continuation_

_itsuka midori no asa eOne day, to that green morning,_

_subete no yoru wo koeteWe'll cross through all these nights_

_sore wa tada hitori zutsuBecause that is the place each one of us _

_mitsukete yuku basho dakarasearches for_

Mizuki smirked as she watched Asuka seethe in anger. She noticed that Asuka had her fists clenched tightly as she gritted her teeth, trying to keep herself from exploding in anger. Mizuki knew it was harsh, but lately Asuka had been full of herself, and she knew she had to knock Asuka off her horse before things got worse when school started again.

_ima wa tada kono mune deNow, within my own heart,_

_anata wo atatametaiI want to keep you warm_

_natsukashiku mada tooiSo dear, and yet so far -_

_yasuragi no tame niIn the name of peace_

_Fields of hopeFields of Hope_

_natsukashiku mada tooiSo dear, and yet so far -_

_yakusoku no noharaThe fields of promise_

_Fields of hopeFields of hope_

_Fields of hopeFields of hope_

As the recording finished, Mizuki sensei pressed a button and it returned to the screen displaying the cast of names, "I hope that you learned something. And I mean **all** of you. Because that was the most beautiful piece of work I've seen since Lacus herself sang that song, and that was just after 2nd Impact. Sadly she died after making that song. And if it helps Asuka, you are one of the major characters in the play."

The statement seemed to slightly calm her down as she let out a frustrated sigh, "I suppose a major role is better than anything."

Mizuki looked up at the clock to see it read 2:59pm, "Well that's all the time we have," she tapped several keys as she disengaged everything and raised the lighting levels, "I have just sent each of you a copy of the play. I expect you guys to read it and familiarise yourself with the story, as some of you will be understudies. When you come back, meet in drama room 8 during the period instead of our homeroom. So anyways, that's all, have a good break everyone, Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year."

"Rise, bow, dismissed," Hikari's voice rang out as Mizuki-sensei left the room. The class began to pack away their things and leave the classroom as they talked with their friends about their plans.

Shinji and Rei got up to leave when his cell phone rang, "Hello, Shinji speaking."

"Good afternoon, gather the pilots and meet at NERV for instructions." The person instantly hung up the phone.

"Who was that Shinji-kun," Rei asked, wrapping her arms around his waist.

Shinji shrugged as he pocketed his cell phone, "Dunno, except that NERV wants the 8 of us to report to NERV."

"I see," she then release Shinji and ran off towards the exit of the classroom, "I shall alert the females and take then directly to NERV. Meet us there."

"Sure." Rei gives him a warm smile before running off. He looks down to see James in deep conversation with Jon in English while Toji lagged behind talking with Kensuke. Sam had just got up and proceeded to leave.

"HEY JON, TOJI, SAM!" Shinji called out, drawing the attention of the boys down below, "NERV wants us now! We better get going!"

"Sure thing," Toji replied before turning back to Kensuke, "Sorry man, maybe tomorrow."

"Doesn't matter man," Kensuke replies waving his hand, "Besides, NERV takes priority. We can hang any day."

"Whatever, I'll be inside my bloody ride," Sam growled, before shoving everyone out of the way as he walks out.

"In a sec," Jon stated before returning his attention to James, "_Sorry, I have to go now. We'll have to organize that game for another day._"

"_Ah no worries old chap,_" James replied, "_Just give me a call when you get home alright?_"

"_Sure thing,_" Jon replied, giving James a pat on the side of his shoulder before following Shinji and Toji out.

"So what do you think NERV wants with us?" Toji inquired as they walked down the hallway.

Shinji shrugged his shoulders, "I don't really know. They just said to come to NERV for instructions."

"Eh knowing NERV it'll probably be some sort of training routine for the break," Jon grumbled as they walked out the door.

When the boys walked out, there were greeted by the sight of three Section 2 SUV's, all of them bore the NERV symbol on the front doors. Two of the SUV's had their doors closed already; the one in the rear had its doors opened with a Section 2 officer waiting.

When he noticed the boys he called out to them, "Pilots, get in! The females are already in one of the other SUV's and Pilot Jackson is to remain isolated." The boys simply complied as they clamoured into the vehicle. Moments later the driver entered the vehicle and started it up and followed the convoy as they made their way to NERV. When they arrived, all of them got off their rides and made their way inside the base.

Once inside, they were greeted by Misato, "Now that school's over for two weeks, we can get down to important business."

"Told you," Jon quietly whispered to Jon and Toji.

"Tsh," Sam scoffed, "What can be SO important that it had to wait until winter break?"

Misato shifted her gaze towards Sam and replied, "You are not part of those plans," her voice was far too icy for her, "You will spend your break here, and under constant supervision, including **all** activities outside of NERV should Ritsuko let you out." Her voice carried an extreme frost that it scared all 8 pilots. She nodded her head as two Section officers took Sam to his quarters.

"Now that he's gone, let's head to the Commanders officer where he'll explain the details of the mission," Misato stated her voice rang with pride and please of shooting down Sam. They quietly made their way towards the Commander's office, as they feared one wrong move would reignite Misato's anger. As they walked through the hallways they observed the latest hallways designs. It was pretty much the same as ever except that the halls were decorated with lights and tinsels with the occasion wreathes hanging here and there along the walls. Even the elevator had a Christmas feel to it, as the buttons were lit up in red and green lights, and the quiet elevator even had Christmas music quietly playing in the background.

Pretty soon they reached the Commander's officer where they were surprised by the sight of the Commander's office. It was for once brightly lit up as various lights and decorations festooned themselves throughout the office. There was even a Christmas tree set up next to the desk.

Gendo got up from his seat, "Please gather round," as the pilots and the Sub Commander approached Gendo continued speaking, "As you know, you have fought 4 of Hell's Advocates. Not easy prospects mind you, especially what they have done to you in recent battles." Everyone saddened for a moment as they remembered how Shinji, Jon, Toji, and Asuka have suffered at the hands of the Advocates.

"We now know that they target each pilot individually. However we don't know why, but all of you must be prepared, as it could be any of you," let out a heavy sigh, "Also, tomorrow report to Central Dogma in formal clothing, Sergeant Dang in your case your dress uniform, as we will be hosting a ceremony for the soldiers who died supporting you during the battle against the 3rd Advocate." Toji growled as he remembered the games the demon played with his mind during that battle, and how it used the soldiers as a means to force him into that situation.

"On a better note, 2 days from now, you 7, the Sub Commander, the previous Sub Commander, Captain Kaji, and myself, will be taking an all expense paid, two week trip to British Columbia, Canada."

Jon's eyes suddenly lit upon hearing this, "You serious sir? Please tell me we're going to where I think we're going. **Please** tell me it's where we're staying."

Gendo's neutral face broke out into a small smile as he chuckled, "Yes Sergeant Dang, we're going to be staying in Vancouver. Does this satisfy you?"

"Oh hellz yeah!" Jon exclaimed as he jumped into the air punching it as he did.

"We will leave in two days, so pack up quickly, as we won't have much time. We must be at the airport by 0500 hours. The time jump will be rather exhausting if we do not leave at an appropriate time, especially it'll most likely be that we'll all be jet lagged. Our flight leaves at 0700 hours, the flight will be approximately 10 hours. We will arrive approximately at midnight in Vancouver."

"Sir, isn't that a Saturday night?" Jon asked curiously.

Gendo nodded, "That is correct, we will arrive when the day of the week becomes Sunday. Any further question?" and when everyone remained silent, "That is all, you had better start packing, and make sure you dress for the weather," smiling a bit wider, "I hear it's going to be a white Christmas there." Jon's eyes nearly bulged out of his glasses upon hearing this piece of information. However before Jon could say anything Gendo curtly dismissed them.

When they left the office Jon started to battle, "Oh my god, oh my god, I can't believe it, I'm finally able to make a pit stop home. Plus I can bring a few other things from home that I didn't bother to bring before. SWEET ASS! Plus I can see my girlfriend again." Everyone let out sighs of exasperation as they waited for the elevator to reach the ground floor as they continued to listen to Jon's incessant rambling.

As they made their way out of the building Misato decided to speak to Jon, "Gee Jon are you that homesick that you are rambling like a mad man?"

Jon stopped and looked behind flashing a grin, "You should see me when I'm initially homesick. I'm really bad then, but chances are that you will never see me like that as all of us pilots will be too busy having out sync tests, and the battles and whatnot."

"I don't know how I should take that," Misato replies cautiously, her eyebrows twitching.

Jon chuckles slightly, waving his hand, "Oh don't worry Misato you won't have to worry about a thing. Chances are that when we come back we pilots will have too much to do to for me to be homesick."

"Uh…ok…" everyone starts laughing at Misato's lack of trust towards Jon as they piled into her new minivan save for Jane who takes off on her bicycle.

It was 0900 hours and everyone was assembled in the new parade hall in Central Dogma. Everyone wore their uniforms properly, all formed up into individual squads, each consisting of 30 people. The pilots all wore sombre clothing save for Natasha who wore the KGB suit she wore the day she arrived. Jon was wearing his Air Cadet uniform. The shoulder flashes on his tunic however which once bore 637 Arrow on it, now bore the word NERV. Misato wore a dress uniform for the day, and Gendo wore the same uniform he always does. Various guests were also present, such as the Mayor, the President of Japan **(A/N: I'm not sure of Japan's political system, I'm just taking a wild guess)**, and other delegates from the country and others. On the parade square, they were over 10 squads formed up as the squad sergeant's dress off their squads. The pilots sat in the back row of seats set up in the front of the squad, facing the entire NERV staff as they watched them prepare.

**(A/N: Note that I'm in Air Cadets, so I'm basing this little 'ceremony' off my yearly annual reviews. Don't worry, I won't go into extreme detail, the good stuff is coming up soon.)**

Pretty soon the ceremony began as Jon marched on and stood at the center front, "COMPANY---ATTEN---TION!" Instantly the hall resonated with the sound of everyone snapping to attention. The parade part of the ceremony went on for about 15 minutes as the squads dressed off. Eventually Misato came on as Jon took his post next to the squad sergeant of the front far right squad.

Soon after the platform party arrived, consisting of various delegates and Commander Ikari. The Commander approached Misato while the delegates sat themselves down. Gendo momentarily speaks with Misato quietly before she turns around ordering the entire Company to stand at ease, then turns around again facing the Commander again, and then stands herself at ease.

Gendo then cleared his throat as he began to speak, "Delegates, staff, pilots, today, we commemorate the valiant actions of the Japanese Special Defence Force **(A/N: At least that's what I think JSDF stands for)**. For, it was their effort and sacrifice in which they were able to stave off the Advocate while the pilots were incapacitated, long enough to give the pilots a chance to reactivate their Evas. Even when Pilot Suzuhara reactivate his Eva and relieved them, they continued to fight in which their support turned out to be instrumental in our victory. However we lost 3 squadrons and 4 companies in the battle. We will not forget their sacrifice." The ceremony continued on as various speeches were giving, the Last Post being played and such.

After a moment of silence, Gendo spoke, "I now call Captain David Burke, of the Canadian Air Force to make his presentation, and I shall be interpreting." A man from the delegates stood up wearing a similar uniform to Jon, except his tunic did not have belt loops or the two lower pockets; the buttons were made of brass instead of plastic, and had two thick gold bands on the cuffs of the sleeves.

"Arigatou Commander Ikari," Captain Burke stated before facing the parade, "_I am most surprised by what I've seen here. I never expected NERV personnel to do drill so well, let alone know drill, considering how they do much more important work,_" he paused to allow Gendo to translate, "_This ceremony, job well done. I couldn't have asked for a better ceremony to commemorate those who have fallen,_" he paused again to let Gendo translate, "_I'll get straight to the point, _Sergeant Dang."

"SIR!" Jon's voice suddenly rang out as he snapped to attention marching up towards Captain Burke.

As Jon proceeded towards the Captain, Rei whispered into Shinji's ear, "Why does Jon do drill differently compared to everyone else?"

He shrugged, "I guess Canadian military do it differently than us. Does it really matter?" Jon stopped in front of the Captain and saluted him; only putting his arm down after the Captain returned the gesture.

Burke took a deep breath and spoke in Japanese with a harsh accent, "Sergeant Dang has worked hard since he was selected to be a possible candidate to pilot Unit 05. When chosen, he worked even harder. And now, in the faces of 4 Advocates, he has proven his worth time and time again. Therefore," pulling out something from his pocket, "I have the pleasure, and the honour of promoting Jonathan Dang, Pilot of Unit 05, to the rank of Flight Sergeant." Jon's eyes widened in as he looked at the badge in the Captain's hand. It was three chevrons with a crown on top. Jon took the badge as the Captain, shook the newly promoted Flight Sergeant's hand.

"_Well done Mr. Dang. You've earned it. And report to Captain Masson when you come back to Canada tomorrow._"

"_Thank you, sir._" Jon saluted Captain Burke before turning to his right and marched back towards his post. As he marches the entire hall broke out in applause. Pretty soon the clapping dies down and Gendo retakes his spot in the center front again.

"This concludes the ceremony. Sub Commander, get everyone out of here." Misato saluted the Commander before he and the platform party left. Misato quickly turned around and dismissed everyone.

Later that night after being congratulated for their hard work, having a reception and sync testing, everyone finally returned to their appropriate homes. Just outside, the pilots save Sam, Toji, and Jane, were talking.

"Jon, I'll say again, congratulations on the promotion."

"Thanks Natasha. However I bet by the time we come back here, I'll either lose the chevrons, replace them with laurels or lose the entire badge and replace it with a thin gold bar," they then stopped in front of the door across Misato's apartment room, "Well I'm going to bed. See you guys in the morning." And with that he entered his and Kaji's room. The others then returned to their apartment instantly retreating into their bedrooms.

"Good lord, I'm going to be exhausted by tomorrow," Shinji complained as he put away his funeral clothing.

Rei had just hung her dress, clad in only in her bra and panties, "That is to be expected considering the time change and length of time it will take for us to reach Vancouver." She then pulls out a t-shirt and a pair of pyjama bottoms.

Shinji slightly chuckled, "I guess so, it's just that I'm highly doubt I'll get any sleep tonight," pulling on a pair of shorts as he replied.

"Why is that?" she asks as she inserted a CD into the stereo Shinji got her for her birthday.

"Too excited actually," Shinji stated as he sat on the bed, "I can't wait to go to Canada especially if it'll be snowing."

Rei hummed in agreement as she cycled through the music until she found Fields of Hope, "That is true as it will be the first snowfall in 15 to 16 years since 2nd Impact."

Shinji chuckled again as he moved to let Rei join him in bed, "You really love that song don't you?"

She nodded her head as she wrapped one arm around his chest the other around his back, resting the hand on his left shoulder, "It's the first song I heard after 3rd Impact. I believe we heard the song through one of those memorial shows for Lacus."

Shinji yawned as he responded, "Yeah we did. You were so glued to that song that not even Asuka and Misato combined could get your attention." Rei giggled slightly as she remembered how furious they were when the song finished, as she had acknowledged them normally not aware she had ignored them.

"Shinji-kun let us try to get some sleep."

"Sure thing, Rei-chan." Shinji drew the covers over them as they snuggled closer. As sleep slowly claimed them, everyone was thinking, "I'll have to do my Christmas shopping when we get there."

That morning at 4:00 the apartment was in absolute uproar as everyone tried to get ready doing last minute pack-ups, changing, into day clothes, or in Shinji's and Rei's case, preparing a big enough breakfast. Shinji and Rei were smart and lucky enough to get up early. When Misato, Asuka, and Natasha woke up, everything went to hell as they scrambled and fought over who gets the washroom. Shinji and Rei were fairly surprised to see Natasha, normally calm and cool completely hysterical that morning.

"I wonder how bad it is for Jon," Shinji wondered aloud as he prepped a bowlful of pancake batter.

Rei shrugged as she continued to slice vegetables, "Most likely that Ryoji-san and Jon-kun are fine in their situation as it is only the two of them."

As Rei stated, all was calm in the neighbouring room. Kaji, who had just finished shaving for once, proceeded to make breakfast while Jon entered the washroom with a bottle of gel and a razor in his hand.

Kaji opened the fridge and called out, "Hey Jon, how do you like your eggs?"

"Preferably scrambled," Jon replied, "Try to cook the garlic powder, pepper and salt into the eggs please?"

"Sure, whatever you say," he replied, pulling out a tray of eggs when Jon suddenly let out a yelp of pain, "What did you do now?"

"Ah, fucking hell! I just bloody cut myself!"

"That's what you get for shaving at an early age," Kaji stated as he pulled out a pan and the needed ingredients.

"Yeah that, plus that's what I get for being in the military," Jon complained as he finished shaving his moustache and starting to gel his hair.

"I thought it's alright to have facial hair," said Kaji surprised by Jon's statement, as he waits for the pan to heat up.

"Normally yes," he replied, "However the Air Cadet unit I'm assigned to, has a standard in which facial hair is only allowed to those who have it for religious purposes. Everyone else has to shave."

"But why do you have to shave? It's not like you're going to return to your unit," Kaji stated as he started to cook the eggs.

"Yeah well I was told by my previous squadron CO to see my new squadron CO when we hit Canada," said Jon as he came out wearing a pair of jeans, a grey collar short sleeved shirt and a black sweater overtop, "Plus I'm assuming I'm appearing before a review board during our two week stay," taking the plateful of eggs Kaji just placed down. He pulled out a fork and started to eat.

Jon smirked as he spoke, "You actually remembered this time."

Kaji smirked as he made his eggs, "Only 'cause I don't have to worry about cooking for you for the next two weeks. That and you've lately been depriving me of my Misato time."

Jon raised an eyebrow, "Excuse me? At least you get to see Misato daily," Jon retorted, "I haven't seen Kristina since July. So don't go saying that I deprive you of your personal time."

"Okay, okay, jeez, sorry if I insulted you," Kaji stated defensively, "But unlike you, you still have time to find new girls should you and Kristina break up. I however do not have the luxury. I'm losing my charm, and besides, I owe Misato big time."

"Fine, fine, I'm sorry," Jon flatly replied as he continued to eat his eggs. Jon ate silently as Kaji had just finished cooking his eggs. They continued to eat silently, the only sound being made is the clinking of cutlery hitting china. Around 7:30, the silence was cut short as it was filled with three ear piercing shrieks followed moments later by someone knocking on the door. Jon quickly ate the last of his eggs before opening the door revealing Shinji and Rei panting with shock written all over their faces, their luggage by their feet.

Jon raised an eyebrow, his face wrinkled in confusion and fear, "Do I want to know what just happened?"

"They are currently fighting over possession of a dress. They have resorted to hand to hand combat," Rei replied.

"What the hell," Jon groaned as he stepped out to help them bring in their luggage.

"What happened now?" Kaji inquired from the table.

"The ladies across are fighting," Jon replied as he flopped down onto the couch pulling out his wallet.

"I see," Kaji mischievously stated, suddenly heading out, "Excuse me for a moment."

"Enter are your own risk!" Shinji called out; however the door had already closed.

"Too late," Jon grumbled as he pocketed his wallet.

Shinji then mumbled, "Three…two…one…" suddenly two ear piercing shrieks resonated as Misato and Kaji stormed into the room, a blue dress in Misato's hands as they slammed the door shut both of them pressing their backs against the door as they panted for dear life.

"Too early for this shit," Jon groaned as he laid himself across the couch, closing his eyes to take a nap. However, before he could even settle down, he jumps in surprise when he hears screeching and massive pounding against the door, causing him to fall onto the ground.

"Definitely **way** too fucking early for this," Jon grumbled as he remained sprawled on his back. Shinji and Rei let out sighs of exasperation as they sat down on the couch Jon had just vacated.

"This is going to be a while," Shinji stated.

"That would be highly inadvisable as we must be at the airport," pausing to look at her watch, "In 15 minutes." The yelling suddenly died down as someone started to knock on the door. Kaji cautiously looked out the peephole as he let out a sign of relief. He opened the door revealing Gendo, with Asuka and Natasha nowhere in sight.

"Good morning Commander," Kaji cheerily greeted.

"Good morning," Gendo politely replied, "We leave in 5 minutes. I expect you outside by then," he turns to go, then suddenly stops, "Oh and one more thing. Please try to control your fights. You were disturbing the patrons." He then walked away.

Kaji let out an exasperated sigh, "Misa-chan, get your luggage and let's get out of here. Besides, it's going to be a 9 to 10 hour flight." Misato nodded and entered her room. Kaji turned around to see Jon had brought out his and Kaji's luggage.

Kaji then noticed something odd, "Hey Jon, why just a back pack?"

"Because I'm visiting my home," Jon replied, "I have some clothes I can use for my stay. Plus anyways I only pack souvenirs for my family and my pyjama's. Anything else would be pointless." He then put down his back pack and flopped down into an armchair.

"What about your uniform?"

"I have an extra set at home."

"Fine, fine, just don't get too comfortable guys," Kaji stated as he walked into his room, "We're leaving in a moment." He then disappeared into his room.

Jon looked over at the couch to see Shinji had wrapped his arms around Rei's waist, holding her close to him, resting his head on hers as he breathed in her scent. Rei had her arms across his chest, her hands intertwined as they rested on his right shoulder, as she rested her head on his other shoulder.

"Good lord, get in my room," Jon grumbled as he pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes.

"You better take that back if you want me to keep Asuka off you when you and Kristina are together," Shinji teased in a somewhat singsong voice. Rei giggled at the situation Shinji had just put Jon into.

"Ouch man," Jon stated as he placed a hand over his chest, faking a wince in pain, "Fine, fine, I'll shut up, **providing** that you keep Asuka off me. She's been harping over my ass of how I could have a girlfriend." He then got up and walked back into his room and came back with three books in his hand. He packed them into his backpack and sat back down. Just then Kaji came out in a pair of black trousers and a white t-shirt underneath a blue sweater.

"Grab your things and head downstairs," Kaji ordered as he walked out the door. He then poked his head back in.

"Oh, Jon do you mind taking my luggage while you're at it? That would be appreciated, thanks." As fast as he came in, he was already gone leaving Jon in a confused state.

"Wha-what just happened?" Jon asked, blinking a few times as he scratches the side of his head.

"He apparently wishes for you to bring down his luggage," Rei calmly replied as she put on her backpack before extending the handle for her suitcase dolly. Shinji simply laughed as he also put on his backpack before picking up his suit case. Jon quickly shook off his confusion as he too slung on his backpack, then picking up Kaji's suitcase, as he began to turn off the power and light. He quickly grabbed his keys as they made to leave the room.

"Oh shit!" Jon cried out suddenly dropping Kaji's suit case, turning on the living room lights, and ran into his room. He soon came out with a silver carrying case.

"Can't leave without this baby," Jon stated flashing a goofy smile before he turned off the lights and locked the room. Shinji let out a sigh while Rei stared at him in mild curiosity.

"What is the content of the case, Jon-kun?" Rei asked when they were in the elevator. Shinji and Jon snapped their heads towards Rei as they looked at her in mild surprise.

She blinked a few times before asking, "Have I done or said something wrong?"

"Rei-chan, you know that it's his poker set right?" Shinji asked, pointing to the case.

"How can I know when I have never seen him open it, and only carry it in my presence?" Rei replied, with a question.

"True," Jon stated as he scratched the side of his head, then laughing, "Shinji, I'll say this, you have pretty interesting taste in women."

Shinji raised an eyebrow as the doors opened, "Was that suppose to be a compliment or an insult?"

"Calm down man," Jon replied as they headed out, "I meant it as a compliment. No need to bite my head off," then turning his attention forward to opened the door when he felt his eyes pop out, "_OH MY FUCKING GOD!_" Shinji and Rei followed Jon outside gasping at the sight before them.

Parked in front of the apartment was a black SUV, behind it was a black limousine. It had 5 windows, on the roof a small satellite dish, the back door had the NERV symbol painted, and on the sidewalk next to the limo, Gendo could be seen talking to an old man wearing tan trousers, brown shoes, and a brown cardigan overtop a white shirt, the top buttons undone.

"Who's the old man?" Jon asked as they walked towards the limo after getting over their surprise.

"He would be Misato-san's predecessor," Rei calmly replied.

"He's the ex-2IC?" Jon asked, bewildered by this.

"2IC, what's that?" Shinji asked.

"It stands for Second in Commander Shinji." Shinji snapped his head in the direction in which the voice had come from. He instantly realised that the ex-Sub Commander had heard him. Shinji looked at the man to see he was smiling.

"How are you Shinji?"

"Umm…I'm fine Fuyutsuki-san," Shinji replied.

Fuyutsuki chuckled at the boy's response, "Please, call me Kozou. I'm not your senior officer anymore. Besides, I never really liked titles much, especially the Sub Commander title."

Jon then approached the man and saluted him, "No need to do so."

Jon kept his arm up, "I know Kozou-san, but I feel it appropriate to do this once, as had I came in last year most likely you would've been one of my senior officers." Fuyutsuki could only smile at Jon's level of respect as he returned the salute. Just then, screaming could be heard as Asuka and Natasha came out arguing mindlessly as Misato and Kaji walked behind them, exasperation written all over their faces.

"WHY THE HELL DID YOU HAVE TO TAKE SO LONG IN THE BATHROOM!" Asuka shrieked, "YOU JUST HAD TO HOG THE BLOODY BATHROOM DIDN'T YOU? NOW LOOK AT ME! I WAS ONLY ABLE TO TAKE A QUICK SHOWER! I'M FILTHY!"

"You're filthy?" Natasha asked, narrowing her eyes, "You're filthy? WHAT ABOUT YESTERDAY? I HAD TO WEAR MY KGB UNIFORM ALL DAY! I WAS SWEATING IN THAT THING! YOU SIMPLY WORE A SKIRT AND A BLOUSE! WHERE'S THE SWEAT IN THAT!"

"Arg! That's why I hate mornings like this where there's only one washroom," Asuka menacingly growled.

"Hey girls, I know something that might cheer you up," Kaji stated.

"What!" both girls snapped out as they spun their heads so that from facing each other they were now facing Kaji.

He smiled nervously as he pointed to the vehicle in front of them. When they turned to face the direction Kaji was pointing, their mouths dropped like rocks as they nearly gagged at the 'wondrous' sight of a limo waiting for them.

Natasha let out a sigh and recomposed herself, "At least we will be arriving at the airport in a most comfortable fashion."

"I'll say this right now, I prefer it when you are calm and collected Natasha," Jon commented as he, Shinji and Rei proceeded to pack their bags into the SUV.

"Unfortunately when you are excited to go on a vacation, and you only have one bathroom, in a room of 5, you tend to lose your cool," Natasha replied as she picked up her suitcase and placed it in the SUV.

"Anyways, excuse me, I'm going to make a quick call while you guys pack," Jon stated pulling out a cell phone.

"You will do no such thing until we arrive at the airport," Gendo snapped.

"Bugger," Jon whined as he re-pocketed his cell phone before getting inside the limo.

"Well, now that that's over, let's put our things into the SUV and hop into the limo," Misato happily stated as she tossed her bags into the vehicle.

Shinji and Rei quickly followed Jon in. They looked inside and saw Jon had taken a corner near the front and had his mp3 player in his ears with his arms crossed as he tried to take a nap. They took the opposite corner, wrapping their arms around one another. Pretty soon everyone got inside; however Shinji and Rei were in their own world oblivious to anyone else for the time being.

"Shinji-kun, what do you want to do when we arrive?" Rei quietly inquired.

Shinji pondered for a moment before responding in the same low tone, "I don't really know. I suppose we can ask Jon to show us around since Vancouver is his home area."

"Perhaps, however I was thinking of something else."

"Oh, what exactly Rei-chan?"

She snuggled closer as she replied, "I was hoping you and I go exploring. I wish for us to have some, if I am correct, the term is, 'alone time', is it not?"

Shinji snickered for a moment, "Have I said something you find amusing?"

"In a manner of speaking yes," Shinji replied, "But that doesn't really matter. And yes, the term is alone time," he held Rei closer to him, "Sure why not, it'll be fun."

"How about you do that next week?" Jon's voice suddenly rang out causing Shinji and Rei to jump in fright.

"How long have you been listening Jon-kun?" Rei ask inquisitively.

"Oh just the part you wanting to explore Vancouver yourself," Jon replied as he unhooked one of his earphones, "Do that next week. Don't forget, Christmas is this Friday, and trust me; the malls are going to be packed badly. I suggest getting all of your Christmas shopping done ASAP, and then do whatever you want. Trust me, a lot less hassle if you do your Christmas shopping early."

"Better listen to Jon," Fuyutsuki called out from the other end, "I went there a couple years before Third Impact, and it wasn't a pretty. I was staying with my family, and I forgot a few things. The day before Christmas Eve, the malls were packed. I was lucky enough to finish my shopping in Metrotown."

"Oh boy, you had it bad didn't you Kozou-san?" Jon replied.

"You have no idea," he replied as he massaged his forehead.

Asuka who had been listening to the conversation growled before speaking, "Can we get off the subject of Christmas shopping before we start blabbing about our gift ideas to everyone?"

"What's the matter Asuka, afraid that you might give away your little ideas?" Misato teased before resting her head against Kaji's shoulder again.

"This is why I hate waking up so early in the morning," Natasha stated, "People are irritable."

"Do not be surprised by this for the first few days, as we will most likely be jet lagged," Gendo stated.

The rest of the ride went by fairly smoothly, and pretty soon everyone checked in their luggage, save for Jon who kept his backpack and precious poker set. All of them were now in the waiting area. Shinji and Rei were sitting together, enjoying each others company, as well as Misato and Kaji. Jon was on the phone talking with someone, while Asuka and Natasha had recently made up and were talking about various things. Gendo and Kozou were at the main entrance as they waited for Jane and Toji to arrive, knowing that the Chinese girl lived fairly far away.

**(A/N: I'm explaining Jane's place of living here because you guys need to know a bit about her. However when the actual story reaches this point, I will have removed this bit, as I will have explained in chapter 8 or 9)**

Jane lived in the outskirts of Tokyo-3, where she has chosen a life of isolation from the rest of the city and the pilots, only appearing for school, when she is needed to pilot Unit 07, and also for the occasional shopping for necessities or shopping sprees with Asuka and her friends. She lives in a handmade cabin which she constructed with the help of the pilots and a few staff members where she spends most of her time either finishing her school work, or training, with the occasional recreational activities.

"Why does she live in that manner?" Kozou asked as they waited patiently.

"Her father passed away when she was 5, and her mother didn't have much use for a daughter. She spent all of her time with Jane's younger brother, never giving a care for her," Gendo explained, "She had to fend for herself. In fact when she was 7, she was left in a separate apartment with only her uncle to help her. Not an easy task, but her will was strong enough she learned to do things herself, only turning to her Uncle and few selected people."

"I see," he quickly replied, "Does she have any contact with her brother?"

Gendo nodded, "She is the only person in her family anyways. You already know that the souls within the Eva's just so happen to be the mothers of the pilots. Although she may be strong willed like Asuka, she is will only blame those who made the choice. Her brother was forced into the light of leading the family. She is the type who won't blame other parties. Plus, with her mother gone, she has taken an interest in the family, but with her new pilot status, she has left that to her brother completely."

"Well there's him, plus my uncle," a female voice suddenly stated.

Kozou wheeled around to see a Chinese girl behind him. She had black hair tied up in a ponytail. She also wore a navy blue hoody underneath a red coat, and wore a pair of sky blue jeans. Behind her was Toji who was sitting on his suitcase waiting for the old men to take him through the rest of the process.

"Good to see you 7th Child, 3rd Child" Gendo greeted, beckoning them to follow, "This way, we must check in your luggage, and then you can join the pilots. We will be taking off around 0700 hours as I have already stated."

As they proceeded to the waiting area, Jane spoke to Kozou, "Excuse me sir, but what is your name, and relation to NERV?"

Kozou chuckled slightly, "I'm Kozou Fuyutsuki, and I am the previous Sub Commander of NERV."

"I see," Jane stated, suspicion slightly ringing in her voice.

"You don't trust me?" Kozou asked, intrigued at her response.

"In a manner of speaking," Jane politely replied, "I trust that the Commander has told you that I only trust a select few?"

"Indeed he has," he replied, "So are you saying you trust only a few of other pilots?"

"Correct," Jane flatly replied.

"Hey Jane," Asuka called out, drawing her attention away from Kozou, "About time you showed up. I thought that you would never show. And why is the stooge following you?"

Jane quickly ran up to her friend after giving a polite nod to Kozou, "Yeah well that's what I get for living in the outskirts of the city. And as for Toji, he was just along for the ride." Toji simply sat himself and pulled out an mp3 player and started to listen to it.

"Why exactly do you live outside the city?" Natasha inquired.

"I've been living on my own since I was 7," she simply replied.

"Okay…that's a bit weird if you ask me but ok, whatever floats your boat," said Asuka.

Shinji and Rei simply sat there contently as they watched how everyone interacted. Kaji and Misato on the other hand paid no attention to their surroundings as they simply sat there kissing one another. Jon on the other hand was making phone calls like mad that he was complaining how he hated international calls. Jon was pacing around near Shinji and Rei that his voice loud enough for them to listen.

"_Ngah, how you been?_" pause, "_That's good. By the way, I have good news,_" yet another pause, "_I'm back around midnight your time._"

Suddenly Jon pulls the phone away from his ears as a happy squeal comes from the phone followed by, "_You're coming home for Christmas? Yeah, I'm so happy!_"

Jon laughs as he brings the phone back to his ear, "_Yeah however I'm going to have to endure a 10 hour flight. I'll drop you a line in the morning. Please, I beg of you don't go out of your way to meet me at the airport. I'll visit you tomorrow, I promise. Okay?_" a long pause followed, "_Well anyways, I gotta go, this long distance calling is going to leave me broke at this rate. I'll see you soon. Love you,_ ja ne."

As Jon closed his phone, Shinji decided to speak, "Must be hard isn't it?"

"Wha?" Jon asked, confused by his question.

"Your relationship with Kristina," Rei clarified, "Is it not hard for you two to maintain such a relationship, when you two live so far away?"

Jon looked down as he tried to hide his face, "It is," Jon's voice started to shutter, "But we've known each other since we were little. I don't what I would do if I lost contact with her," tears started to trail down his face, "She's one of the few friends I have back home. In fact she's the only female friends, or this case, she's my girlfriend. It took me 4 girlfriends in a span of two years to realise, she's the one."

"Well so goes the old saying, 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder,'" said Kozou.

Jon looked up to see the man was standing behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder, "If you and her are faithful to one another, even during the 6 months you were gone, I can assure you, when you two see each other, it will be one of the best Christmas's you two will share."

Jon wiped the tears for his face, "Thanks Kozou-san, I needed that."

"Don't mention it Jon," Kozou replied as a smile formed on his age old lips, "We all have to at one point suffer the pain of separation, especially long distance and long term separation. If you two are willing to put up with this kind, I can promise you that you two will be inseparable."

"You know quite a lot," Jon commented.

"Well I know what it's like to be in love, and to have a long distance relationship. Plus observing how people deal with long distance relationship helps with that knowledge."

Suddenly the intercom went off, "Flight 118 to Vancouver International Airport, please report to gate 7. _Flight 118 to Vancouver International Airport, please report to gate 7._"

"Everyone, gather your things, we will be heading out soon," Gendo stated as he closed the book he had been reading. Everyone gathered their things and stood in line as they waited for their tickets to be checked. Pretty soon everyone was onboard and looked around for their seats, but found that none of them were present.

"Um father, where exactly do we sit?" Shinji asked.

Gendo pointed to the front of the plane, "You didn't expect us to sit in this area did you? We get 1st Class." All the pilots, minus Rei felt their eyes pop out as they realised what kind of lengths NERV has gone through to keep them comfortable.

"Fi-fi-first class!" Toji asked completely dumbstruck.

"That is correct Flight Sergeant," Gendo replied as he walked through the curtain which shielded the first class area. Everyone followed Gendo and gapped in awe. **(A/N: I've never seen what a First Class section on a plane looks like, so I'm making it up as I go)** Along the sides were single chairs, spaced out for foot rests, along the middle was a small column of pairs of chairs. From a general stand point, there were 4 seats across, and 4 seats down.

After getting over the shock, everyone took a seat. Shinji and Rei sat in the middle section in the far back, while Asuka, Natasha and Jane took the front middle chairs. Jon sat in the back on the left side, listening to his mp3 player as well at Toji, who sat in front of him. Kaji and Misato took the seats in front of Shinji and Rei, and Gendo and Kozou pulled out books and took a seat. Everyone quickly buckled in as they waited for the plane to take off.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the captain speaking, we will be taking off momentarily, please fasten your seatbelts and have your seats in the upright position. _Ladies and gentlemen, this is the captain speaking, we will be taking off momentarily, please fasten your seatbelts and have your seats in the upright position._" Everyone quickly made sure their belts were properly fastened as they waited for the plane to take off as it taxied its way along the runway. Soon after the plane took off and they were in the air as they began their long 10 hour flight to Vancouver.

"Thank god I have over 10 hours of music," Jon grumbled as he leaned his seat back and went to sleep. Tired from the lack of sleep almost everyone took the opportunity to sleep, save for the two old men and Shinji and Rei.

"Shinji-kun, should we take Jon-kun's advice and do our Christmas shopping first?" Rei quietly asked.

"I think we should," Shinji replied in the same hushed manner, "I do want to avoid crowds as much as possible."

"That is true. I dislike large crowds." Shinji laughed quietly for a moment.

"Rei-chan, enough talk about shopping, and let's talk about something else."

"What do you wish to discuss?"

Shinji thought about it for a moment before asking, "Before 3rd Impact, did you ever happen to celebrate Christmas?"

Rei shook her head, "No, I did not. I never saw any real purpose to celebrate Christmas, nor any other holiday or event for that matter. Not even my own birthday."

Shinji released Rei's hand only to wrap his arm around Rei as he held her closely as he could, "That's kinda sad really, not celebrating any holidays," he kissed Rei on the temple as he continued to speak, "I promise you that your first Christmas will be the best one ever."

Rei couldn't help but smile, "It may not be Christmas yet, but I am already enjoying this break."

"It's only going to get even better Rei-chan."

The rest of the flight went by smoothly, save for minor stops to refuel, however no unforeseeable dangers disturbed their flight. Everyone except Gendo was asleep when the plane descended and touched the ground. Gendo woke everyone when the plane was taxiing, and told them to get ready to leave. Pretty soon everyone got off the plane as they waited for their luggage to arrive. After retrieving their luggage they walked outside where they waited for their ride to pick them up.

"Sir, where exactly are we staying?" Jon inquired.

"We will be staying in the Hotel Vancouver," he replied.

"Sweet ass," Jon stated. While they waited, they suddenly heard someone squeal out Jon's name as they turned around to see someone tackle him onto the ground.

"_What the fuck?_" was the last thing Jon said before he fell onto his back as a girl held on tight to him. He looked up to see everyone was staring at him before looking forward to see a girl hanging on to him. She looks up to reveal thin eyes, brown pupils and thin lips. Her hair was long, all the way down to her waist, and it was tied back into a pony tail.

"_Kris! I thought I asked you to not come here!_" Jon stated in English. However Shinji, Rei, Kozou, Natasha and Kaji snickered as they understood the language. Gendo simply observed the situation.

"_I know,_" Kristina whined, "_But my parents have gone on a trip and I have nowhere to stay until tomorrow. They won't leave me home, and told me to stay with you._" She spoke in a rather babyish voice.

Jon groaned as he gently pushed off Kristina as he sat up, chuckling, "_I never could resist that voice,_" he then looked up to Gendo, "Is my room large enough to accommodate her?"

"You will have to share the same bed," he calmly replied, suddenly noticing 4 SUVs pulling up, all of them bore the NERV symbol, "They would be our ride to the Hotel. We have already made reservations; we just need to get the keys."

Jon got up with the help of Kristina and Shinji before he picked up his stuff along with everyone else. Everyone quickly threw their things inside one of the SUVs before climbing into another one of the SUVs. After everyone had clamoured in they were well on their way to the hotel. Upon arrival, there were bellboys already present as they took unloaded their gear and waited to take the luggage to their rooms. Everyone waited by the elevators as Gendo retrieved the keys.

**(A/N: Note I have never set foot in the Hotel Vancouver, so I'm making this part up as well)**

Gendo thanked the person at the desk, and then approach the gaggle, clearing his throat as he does, "I have already assigned you to your rooms. If you have a room mate; I ordered enough keys so that all members of the room can enter. Also, note we are on the 7th floor," he then started to pick up keys from his hand, "Room 701, Shinji and Rei. Room 702, Jon, and do note that I only got one key for that room, you two figure it out, Room 703, 704, 705, Asuka, Jane, and Natasha, however, Room 703 is meant for three people if you wish to sleep in the same room."

Asuka, Jane and Natasha looked at one another for a moment before Asuka grabbed the 703 key while the other two pressed the button for the elevator, "One moment," Gendo stated as he fished out two more keys and passed them to Asuka. The sorting went out pretty quickly as Kaji and Misato took room 704, while Kozou took 705, Gendo taking room 706 and Toji in room 707.

Shinji and Rei were the last to take the elevator so by the time they reached their floor everyone else was inside. As they walked down the hall, the only sound that could be heard was their footsteps as they practically dragged themselves into their room. As soon as they entered they dropped their bags at the front of the door and absorbed their surroundings.

It was a medium sized room, with a nice view of the dock, a bed right next to it down on the far end. To their right was a closet and next to it was the door to their washroom. To their left was a small kitchen complete with an oven, a few counters, cupboards and a refrigerator. And in front of them were a couch and a 30 inch TV.

Shinji then started to laugh, making Rei curious about his outburst, "What is so funny Shinji-kun?"

"Just think of the private breakfasts we can have during this vacation Rei-chan?" he manages snicker out before he has another fit of laughter.

Rei let out a yawn before she replied, "That is true Shinji-kun. It would be…nice…if we…could…" however she started to fall. Shinji being right next to her quickly caught her wrapping an arm around her stomach while his other hand held on to her shoulder. He quickly helped Rei take off her jacket and sweater before he took off his own coat and sweater.

"Arigatou, Shinji-kun…." She fell into Shinji's arm again. Shinji looked to see Rei had fallen asleep. He smiled as he scooped her into his arms and carried her across the room to their bed. As he carried her, he noticed how light Rei was despite her age and her diet. He found it a bit weird but figured even as a human her anatomy was different in her own unique way. He pulled away the covers as he gently laid the sleeping girl down. He then took off Rei's shoes before taking his off, and joining her in bed. He wraps his arms around Rei, pulling the covers over them as he does. He let out a sigh of contentment as he kisses her forehead before closing his eyes and letting sleep claim him.

That morning, Rei woke up to the sight of the early morning sun. She tries to get up but finds herself unable as she is held down. She opens her eyes to the sight of her beloved Shinji. She smiles as she gently caresses his face, tracing the outlines of his face with her fingers, content to be in the arms of the boy she has loved since they openly admitted their feelings back in September when they had celebrated her birthday.

She remembered how she was against the idea of going to the beach where the party was held, but was eventually coaxed into going. She remembered how they surprised her greatly and how that night when Shinji took her to a quiet spot on the beach and sung a song, in English, slowly expressing his love for her through the song. She remembered how in the end she was crying at the beauty he put in when he sung that song. She also remembered the first true kiss they had that night, as she jumped into his arms right after he said those three words that night.

Lost in thought she had failed to notice that Shinji was staring back at her as she traced his face as she continued to reminisce in that particular memory. As he watches her, he can't help but be in awe by the beauty of her, how her hair which was once short had grown out to reach down to her shoulders, and how everything on her face seemed to compliment one another as they helped to produce the image of the goddess who laid before him in his very arms. Noticing that Rei's fingers were touching his lips, he opened his mouth and started to lightly suck on them causing Rei to gasp in surprise. Shinji couldn't help but laugh at her shock while Rei looked at him in an annoyed fashion.

"Very amusing Shinji-kun," said Rei, with a minor frown on her face.

"Sorry Rei-chan, but I had to wake you up somehow," Shinji replied placing a kiss on her forehead.

Rei snuggled closer to Shinji, kissing him fully on the lips as she does pulling back only to say, "I accept your apology." She then leaned in as they kissed again, instantly opening their mouths as their tongues danced with one another. However before they could really melt into the wondrous feelings of the kiss they were interrupted by incessant knocking at their door.

"Hey love birds, get the hell out of bed. It's already noon, and we're heading out now!" came Asuka's annoyed voice as she stomped away.

"C'mon Rei-chan, let's go. We can easily make up tonight when everyone is in their rooms." Rei sighed, highly disappointed, but nodded in agreement. They quickly got out of their bed and pulled out their tooth brushes and headed into the bathroom.

Meanwhile downstairs Jon was talking with Gendo while Kristina was getting to know the pilots, "Sorry for the odd entrance yesterday, but I was too excited to see Jon again that I sort of lost myself there."

"Whoa, wait a sec," Asuka stated in surprise, "You can speak Japanese!"

"Uh huh," Kristina nodded laughing at Asuka's surprise, "I can speak English, Japanese and Mandarin."

"You can speak Mandarin?" Jane asked in mild surprise.

"Uh huh," Kristina replied, switching from Japanese to Mandarin "_Both my parents are from China. I actually know Mandarin and Cantonese._"

"_Oh really now?_" Jane replied, also in Mandarin, "_You ever have been to China before though?_"

Kristina shook her head, "_No, been busy with school and all, and now with Jon, I don't really care actually._" Natasha, Asuka and Toji could only stare in wonder as they were left bewildered failing to understand a word of Chinese from either of their mouths. Seeing the look of confusion on their faces, Kristina and Jane couldn't help but laugh at the fact they couldn't understand their little conversation.

"Sorry guys, but that's what happens when you meet people of your own language," Kristina replied. She suddenly let out a minor yelp of surprise, turning around to see that Jon had poked her sides. She quickly wrapped her arms around his neck while he around her waist as they kissed. The others could only watch in mild disgust as they made out right there in public.

"Umm, by any chance you two can do it in a corner?" Toji asked, as he tried to cover this scene with his hand over his face.

Jon however shrugged, "Not really, because we usually do this in public anyways, except when we eat." All four let out sighs as the elevator bell dinged revealing Shinji and Rei who came out hand in hand, their fingers intertwined with one another.

"Morning sleepyheads," Jon called out.

"Morning Jon," Shinji replied.

"Good morning Jon-kun," Rei replied.

"Jon-kun?" Kristina asked suspiciously, raising an eyebrow.

Jon laughed nervously, "It is nothing special Kris, I promise you, she's only saying this because we've become friends, that's all. Besides, she's already taken, and no one here is knows of my other name or I allow them to call me by that name."

"I guess that'll do. After all, you are my Jonathan," Kristina stated before shooting a glare at Rei, "Stay away from my Jonathan, you here!"

"I have no interest in interfering with your relationship with Jonathan-kun, Kristina-san," Rei politely replied.

"EXCUSE ME!" Kristina squealed as she snapped her head towards Jon. Jon swore he could see flames in her eyes.

"You said that no one knows of your full name."

Jon knew he was in a spot of trouble now, "She only knew because you called me that," he then looked at everyone menacingly, "Call me by my full name, I will tear you apart. No one, NO ONE, except my family and girlfriend, is allowed to address me by that name. Understand?" Everyone nodded their heads.

"My apologies Jon-kun," Rei replied, "It will not happen again."

"It had better!" Kristina growled. Gendo suddenly tapped Jon on the shoulder as he whispered something into his ear, which elicited a smile on his face.

"Hey Kris, you know how you love swords so much?"

Her expression immediately turned from angry to mild curiosity, "Yeah, what about it?" Jon looked to his right, towards the door to see a NERV officer standing at there with a thin box in his hands. Jon made eye contact with the officer and motioned him to come. After he gave Jon the box, he gave Gendo a nod and walked away. Everyone watched as Jon opened the box, eyes popping out or gasping in surprise as he pulls out a katana. The sheath was black; the hand guard was gold, as well as the hilt with black fabric crisscrossing down the hilt.

"THANK YOU I LOVE IT!" Kristina squealed as she 'glomped' Jon smashing him into the ground as she smothered him with kisses, the katana in her hand. Everyone else simply watched and laughed at the sight before them.

"_Hey baka, when are you going to stop giving attention to your girlfriend and start giving attention to your family?_" came a female voice. Everyone looked at the door to see three tall girls, and a man roughly Jon's height, staring at Jon.

"_Andy, Shelly, Jenny, Dad? What are you guys doing here?_" Jon asked bewildered as he got up onto his feet.

"_What, can't his family visit after being told he got promoted to Flight Sergeant the day before he is due to arrive?_" the man asked. Jon started to shed tears as he ran up to his family hugging them.

"Aww isn't that sweet," Misato commented, making all the pilots jump.

"When did you come in?" Toji asked after getting over his initial shock.

"A while ago," Kaji replied with a cup of Starbucks coffee in his hands.

"There's a Starbucks around here?" Asuka asked in surprise.

"Follow me," Misato stated as she started to head out the door with Asuka hot on her trail.

"She sure loves her Starbucks frappuccinos," Shinji commented almost commercially as they watched Asuka practically begging for Misato to run her to the nearest Starbucks.

Gendo approached the happy family as he let out a cough, "_Dang, care to introduce us?_"

"Gomen nasai Ikari-san," Jon replied, "_Guys, this is my CO at NERV, Commander Ikari,_" Gendo nods politely as he moves so that Jon's family could see the pilots, "_The redhead who just left is Asuka, she's one of the pilots, and the purple haired woman is the 2IC at NERV, Sub Commander Katsuragi Misato. Let's see,_" Jon scanned the pilots, "_Well the Chinese girl is Jane, the Japanese boy is Toji, the Russian is Natasha, and the couple over there is Shinji and Rei. And the senior over there is ex-Sub Commander Fuyutsuki Kozou._" Everyone nodded politely as Jon pointed them out, Jon's father shaking the hands of Gendo and Kozou, and thanked Gendo for taking care of Jon.

"Guys, this is my family, the tallest one with glasses, and black hair with blonde highlights is my eldest sis, Andrea."

"ANDY!" Andrea—Andy noted dangerously, a dark glare looming in Jon's general direction. The look of death almost sent chills down the pilots' spines. Jon smiled uncomfortably and nodded.

"As I was saying, my eldest sis—ANDY," he corrected nervously, with an exaggerated tone. She nodded in satisfaction, and he proceeded… with caution.

"The one that's only a head taller than me with boyish hair, is my second eldest, Michelle, and the youngest here, only 3 years older than me, with long hair is Jennifer," he then pointed to the man who just shook Gendo's hand, "That there is my dad, Sonny."

"Hello," everyone stated.

Andrea looked over the couple and whined mockingly, "_Damn it I should have brought my sketchbook. You two look so cute holding hands like that!_" Jon however groaned while Shinji and Rei blushed at the prospect of posing while someone drew pictures of them.

"_What else HAVEN'T you drawn?_" Michelle commented sarcastically, and Andrea her a glare. Jennifer grinned.

"_Well, the last thing I saw was her drawing two boys having s—OW!_" Before Jennifer could finish her comment, she received a watch to the head…

It beeped…

"_SILENCE FOOL!_" Andrea snarled, Velcro making a shredding sound as she wrapped it snug around her wrist again. Jennifer rubbed her head annoyed.

"…_sex_…" she finished, barely audible. The pilots gave the rampaging Asian a look of paranoia. She turned to face the children—still fiddling with her strap—and realized each of them turned their backs, Toji idly whistling, and the rest? They idly minded their own pretending business.

"_Typical…_" Andrea scoffed. "_Come on! I'm friendly—!_" She walked toward Shinji, arm reaching over his neck to give him a friendly noogie. She gave him a grip of death, "_So! Shinji was it? Nice to meet you!_" Her other arm curling into a fist, middle knuckle standing out a little. She pulled him down and pushed him close under her arm, and against her breast. Shinji's eyes widened, and his face burned red. Rei gave Andrea a deathly glare, from which she paid no mind. Obviously, she gets a lot of those. Just as her knuckle was about to professionally come down hard on his well attended scalp, her father cut in.

"_Okay—enough; you're scaring them shitless,_" Mr. Dang stated. Andrea turned her head sharply toward her father, with a pleading look.

"_No…_" he said warningly. Defeated, Andrea released Shinji from her grip of death, and nodded in acknowledgement in Rei's direction. She replied with a nod. Andrea raised an eyebrow as she stepped back toward her father's side. Moments later her eyes met Shinji's, which were darting back and forth, to avoid making eye contact with this new maniac.

"_I'll be back…_" Andrea said mockingly. Shinji then looked up to the ceiling—a place he knew he wouldn't find her.

Mr. Dang scratched his head idly before redirecting his attention to Jon again, speaking in Vietnamese "_If you want, tell your friends to drop by the pizza place, or drop me a line and give me an order. I'm sure that your NERV people can get the pizza here fast enough to keep it warm. _" He then handed something to Jon that looked like a menu, as well as a backpack.

"_Sure thing dad,_" Jon replied in his foreign tongue. He then gave his family one last hug and gave them his backpack full of souvenirs before they left. Shinji hung his head low, as he felt a tinge of sadness and longing.

This didn't go unnoticed by Rei, "Is something wrong Shinji-kun?"

"I wish I still had my family," Shinji quietly whispered.

Rei wrapped her arms around Shinji as she rested her head against his chest, "I understand Shinji-kun. I too do not have that security of a family. However, we do have each other, and our friends. Do they not count as our family?"

Shinji wrapped his arms around Rei's shoulders, holding her close, "It's not the same Rei-chan. They are more like my siblings, but I want to know what it's like to have a mother and father. I don't know if I'll ever get that chance." Tears started to stream down his face.

Rei looks up and kisses him on the lips, "You may not get that chance, but in the future, perhaps you will get the chance to provide your children what your father could not provide."

Shinji sniffs a couple of times as he wipes the tears from his face, "Thank you, Rei-chan."

"Hey if you two aren't busy, let's head out!" Jon called out. Shinji and Rei look at the door to see everyone standing there waiting for them.

"Let's go Shinji-kun," said Rei as she holds Shinji's hand as she pulls him along towards the others. When they got outside they were greeted by the same NERV SUVs that had picked them up when they arrived, except that there was one additional one.

"Katsuragi, Kaji, Kozou, I expect you two to take care of the pilots while me and the Flight Sergeant go to the Canadian NERV Branch," Gendo stated before he proceeded towards the 5th SUV.

"Wait sir, why are you and Jon going to NERV?" Misato asked.

"Unit 05 has been brought here for upgrades," Gendo replied as he opened the door, "The Flight Sergeant is required to test the upgrades, then he will be reporting to his squadron Commanding Officer, so neither of us will be back until tonight."

"Hey Kris, hop in, we'll give you a ride home," Jon called out.

"Negative, she will be joining us," Gendo firmly stated.

"Sir?"

"She held the second highest score, so therefore she is considered a backup whenever necessary."

"Yay, I get to see Unit 05!" Kristina squeals in a babyish manner as she hops in. Moments later the vehicle starts up as it drives away.

"Well that leaves us with two less translator," Misato grumbles.

"Actually, we have plenty of people who can speak English," Kaji states pointing his index finger up.

"Oh? Who?"

"Let's see," counting off with his fingers, "We have Natasha, Kozou, and if I'm correct Shinji and Rei, and of course, myself."

"I didn't know that Shinji and Rei were learning English," Misato stated, bewildered as she looks at the two incredulously.

They however shrugged, "You never asked Misato."

"Anyways, now we have translators, how about we go to Metrotown? It's a about a half-hour drive, but it's a really decent mall," Kozou stated.

"Oh yeah," Asuka stated, as smacks her head with palm of her left hand while sipping her frappuccino, "We have some Christmas shopping to do, don't we?"

"Then it's settled," Misato stated, "Today and probably tomorrow, Christmas shopping, the next two days doing absolute nothing then Thursday we prep for Christmas day."

"Sounds like a plan," Toji states while Natasha and Jane nod in agreement.

"Very well, let's split off into groups," Kaji stated, "Most likely you will be on your own right Kozou," he simply nods, "In that case, males are one group, females are another."

"Hey? Why can't me and Rei be on our own while Toji is with them or you two?" Shinji complains.

"For one thing," Misato began, "The females have only one translator, and that can get very annoying, secondly, I'm sure you have some shopping to do," winking at Shinji.

"Fine Misato," Shinji says in defeat, 'Although now I can get a present for Rei without letting her know now.'

"Now that the issue has been settled, let's get going, we have a long day ahead of us," Kozou states. Everyone quickly piles into one of the SUVs as they head off to Metrotown Mall. When they arrived, they arranged to be picked up around 6, and then they split off into their groups as they explored the mall, each of them receiving a map of the mall.

Shinji and Toji were walking around the mall when they happened to come across a huge store called The Bay. They walk in to find a huge selection of clothes, perfumes and the like.

"Wow," Shinji commented as they walked through the store, taking in everything.

"This place has a hell of a lot," Toji commented.

"And it's packed. Jon and Kozou-san weren't joking when they said it would be packed. Hmm, I wonder what this smells like." They were in the perfume section when Shinji decides to take a bottle of perfume and sprays it on a card as he takes in a whiff.

"Smells nice, but I don't know if Misato would like this one." Shinji samples a few more until he comes across a lavender scented one. He smiles as he asks a clerk to procure him a bottle of the perfume. He looks at the bottle as it read, "Scent of Heaven." Shinji is given the perfume. They quickly walk off to another section, the perfume in his hand.

After a while longer they decide there wasn't much of interest and left the store, paying for the perfume before they did. They walked around some more coming across a Toys'R'us store, when one of the smaller stores on the sides caught Shinji's attention. He looks to his left to see a store called Games Workshop in bold yellow letters with red edging.

"So this is where Jon got his stuff," Shinji stated as he walks into the store.

"Umm, Shinji, why are we going in here?" Toji asked as he looks to his left upon entered to look into the chest of a plastic 8 foot tall Space Marine.

"That's because Jon apparently has a major thing for this, and I want to get him something nice."

"_Did you say Jon? As in Jon Dang?_" one of the workers asked. Shinji looks in front of him to see a sales clerk in a red shirt, with the name Stuart on his left chest.

"_Yes, you know him?_"

"_Know him? He's a regular. If you want to get him something for Christmas, hold on a sec,_" Stuart walks away and pulls out a box from the shelves, "_Give him this. It's a Carnifex; he's needed one for a while now. He was going get one but he had to leave. Is he back or something?_"

"_Actually yes, he's back for the next two weeks._"

"_Perfect. Tell him to show up here on Saturday for Combat Patrol night and tell him that we look forward to see him on Veterans Night next week._"

"_Ok sure, and sure, I'll take it._"

"_Alright then,_" he then walks up to the cash register and pushes a few things into the computer before scanning it, "_That'll be $62.70._" Shinji pulls out his NERV cards and gives it to Stuart who swipes it through the scanner, then gives Shinji a pad as he punches in his pin code. Stuart then puts the Carnifex box into a bag and hands it to Shinji

"_Have a nice day, and tell him Stuart says hi._"

"_I will, and you have a nice day as well._"

"Weird bunch of people wouldn't you say?" Toji asked as they walked out.

"Well Jon is pretty weird himself when it comes to this hobby. So I suppose…" his voice drifts off when his eyes catches on to a diamond store, "Wow, hey Toji, let's check this out." They walk into the diamond store where they take a look around. The store was filled with various kinds of ear rings, necklaces, bracelets and the like. Shinji walks about, examining the expensive beauties before him when a particular jewel caught his eyes.

It was a necklace; with a diamond shaped ruby roughly the size of Shinji's pinkie, encased in diamond. Flanking on each side of the ruby were 3 pieces of diamonds. The second he laid eyes upon the necklace he could all ready picture it around Rei's neck.

Toji noticed Shinji gazing at something and followed it to see the necklace and smiled, "Good choice man. Get it for her."

"You think she'll like it?" Shinji asked never taking his eyes off of it.

"Of course man," he then waved to one of the sales clerk, and spoke in a harsh accent "_Excuse me miss, can we see this?_"

"I didn't know you could speak English," his eyes remaining transfixed upon the pendant.

"I don't, I just know a few words that's all." The sales clerk unlocked the case, pulling out the necklace it and holds it out to Shinji who takes it and looks at it in awe. The chain was itself was a bluish gold color. As he held the necklace up into the light it sparkled reminding him of the blue water during a summer sunset.

"_I'll take it._"

**(A/N: I don't know the price for something like that, so I'm making it up)**

"_Very good, that'll be $2280.00 please,_" the sales clerk replied as she took the necklace and placed it in a case, leading Shinji and Toji to a cash register. Shinji pulls out his NERV card and gives it to the clerk who swipes it through the machine as it processes it. They soon left the store as they resumed shopping for their friends.

Meanwhile the girls where in an electronics store as they mused about for objects and such that they figured would please the boys. Rei was simply walking along various aisles when a particular shelf caught her eye. She looked to see that it was a rather large display of various MP3 players; however it was an iPod with an ad in which the case would come with an engraving that had captured her eyes.

"_You like that particular one?_" a clerk asked.

"_Yes, is it possible to purchase this unit along with the engraving?_"

"_You'd have to special order it, and it would arrive depending where you live?_"

"_How much, and how long would it arrive to room 701 at Vancouver Hotel?_"

"_Oh, well it would be a grand total of $511.86, and it would arrive on Boxing Day._"

"_Any chance you can make it Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?_" Rei inquired as she pulls out her NERV card from her jean pocket.

"_You're…you're one of the Evangelion Pilots!_" the clerk nearly exclaims, barely able to hold in his excitement, "_For you, I can pull a few stings and get it to you by tonight! What would you like engraved into the iPod?_"

"_I will write it out in Japanese, and I want an exact replica, understand?_"

"_Don't you worry miss, for someone like you, I will make sure I find someone who can read and write Japanese._"

"_Thank you._" The clerk takes her to a register and begins to fill out the proper forms while her gives a Rei a piece of paper and writes out her message, 'Wherever you go, wherever you are, if you listen to the music, you are listening to me.' She then writes her name out before writing out her signature twice, once in a normal size then a blown up version.

"_I'll make sure that this gets to you by tomorrow morning._"

"_Thank you._" Rei then walks away as she helps out the others females shop.

"Hey Rei, what exactly did you just purchase?" Natasha quietly asked.

"I bought Shinji-kun a new MP3 player that comes with a personalized engraving, Natasha-chan," Rei replied in the same hushed tone.

"An mp3 player?" Natasha asked, quirking an eyebrow, pretending to be interested in a display of CD players.

"Hai. He had an S-DAT player when we first met but that has long been destroyed, and he has not had the time nor the will to replace his player, as that was very personal for him. So I have discerned that if this new player is to come with personal value already attached, he will be more likely to accept it."

"Wow, I knew you changed, but not that much," Asuka suddenly stated wrapping her arm around Rei's neck playfully.

"Thank you, Asuka-chan," Rei calmly replies as Asuka releases Rei's neck from her death grip. She turns around seeing that Asuka and Jane had bags in their hands, "Have you both completed your purchases here?"

"Yup," Jane happily replies.

"Same here, if there's nothing else you two are getting, let's blow this pop stand," Asuka states, pointing her thumb towards the exit. All three girls nodded in agreement. As they leave they run across a clothes store which causes Asuka to squeal in delight as she runs in. The girls follow in to see her hold up a yellow sundress made exactly like the one she wore when she had first arrived.

"Umm…Asuka, why are you freaking over something that you would want, when we are shopping for others?" Jane asks, looking at her oddly as she shifts her weight on to her right leg.

"I sort of lost my favourite summer dress," Asuka replies sheepishly as she scratches the back of her head, "And I've been looking all over for one, and I just couldn't believe that I found one exactly same type and…" her voice trailing off to look at the tag, squealing as she does, "I can't believe it! It's the perfect size as well!" From an anime standpoint, the three girls would have formed large sweat drops on their heads as they watched Asuka hug the dress tightly as she rants on in German.

"_I'll take it!_" she suddenly squeals in English.

Natasha groans as Asuka runs off to join the queue at the cash register, "This might take a while."

"We could go to the sports store over there across while we wait," Jane suggests, pointing towards the exit.

"That would be advisable as it is less populated in that facility," Rei replies.

"Gee Rei; do you have to talk like that?"

"What exactly do you mean, Jane-chan?" Rei asked, tilting her head.

"Never mind, you probably do that to anyone besides a select few," Jane states, exasperated as they let Asuka know where they were going.

The two days were rather long and hectic as they had made stops in several stores, and two malls as they shopped for their friends. Jon however had it bad as he had to prep for his Warrant Officer review boards that were happening the day before Christmas Eve, leaving him little time to do any Christmas shopping. The others kept their distance as he spent the days either prepping his uniform, himself, or Christmas shopping, which left him little or no time to sleep. The others could only look in sympathy as they watched the poor Flight Sergeant sweat over his possible promotion and his shopping.

It was a clear cold Thursday on December 23rd, Rei and Shinji were taking a walk through Stanley Park. Shinji brought a digital camera and was taking pictures of the scenery every so often. Besides taking the occasional pictures they would simply walk the trails, hand in hand, taking in the sights. After a while they decided to sit down on a bench.

"Shinji-kun, what do you think of Vancouver?" Rei asked after a long while of comfortable silence.

"I like it. I like it a lot actually," Shinji calmly replies, "It actually has an environment, it doesn't smell that bad, and it's really peaceful."

"I agree," Rei replies as she snuggles herself closer to Shinji, "I also enjoy the nice change in weather."

"Can't argue with you there Rei-chan. It's nice to get away from the heat and find a place that actually has started to recover its weather patterns."

"However this probably will not last, as the climate is still erratic."

"I guess, but it would be nice if it does snow like my father says."

"I have heard that, a white Christmas is especially a special time of year."

"I suppose in some ways it does. Personally, to be able to spend Christmas with your friends, family and loved ones, is perfectly fine with me."

"Agreed. Lately, I have found that spending time with the others is rather enjoyable. However I find it nothing, compared to the comfort and security I feel when I'm with you."

"Well that's the difference between hanging with your friends, and the one you are in love with," Shinji replies, giving Rei a kiss on the lips.

"I love you Shinji-kun," she murmurs through the kiss, "I do not want my feelings to change."

"I love you too Rei-chan. I don't know what I would do if I lost you." The couples sat there holding each other close, enjoying each others company, no longer aware of the world around them.

Meanwhile, Toji was in his room, wrapping his gifts, along with Misato in her room, Asuka in hers while Jane borrowed Jon's and Natasha borrowing Shinji's and Rei's room. Gendo and Kozou had finished their gift shopping before anyone could and were having a cup of coffee in the nearby Starbucks.

"So, have you tried to actually rekindle your father-son relationship?"

"Yes, however it has not been going well," Gendo replied, regret ringing in his voice.

"What happened?" taking a sip of his coffee.

"Because I am the Commander, I've been forced to put his injured friends, Rei in particular into combat, even Shinji himself. He seems to have taken it a bit personally, but I do not blame the boy. I have done harsh things to him before."

"You've changed Gendo," Kozou commented, "And I mean a lot. What happened to you?"

"Yui happened," Gendo replied as he takes a few sips from his coffee.

"Care to explain?"

Gendo puts the cup down as he bridges his fingers, resting his chin on top of them, "Long story short, Yui knew everything. She saw everything I did. From when I first made him pilot, to implementing the dummy plug, to him forced to kill the 17th, to the initial stages of 3rd Impact. She saw and knew everything. She was furious. When we met, she gave me a piece of her mind, literally. We were all in the LCL state so I felt her anger particularly strong, and such. As the minds began to reform, me and Yui being one of the last few, she really gave me a piece of her mind, scolding me and such about how I mistreated Shinji over the years and how she couldn't believe I did such things. I suppose that me and Yui eventually talked it over. I've been trying, but I'm not sure if I can ever truly regain the boys trust and confidence in me."

"At least you're trying, that's what counts. If Yui sees that you're trying, I'm sure that she'll somehow pass it on to Shinji when he sets foot into Unit 01."

"I can only hope."

"Anyways, onto another subject, what exactly were you doing the other day?"

"There was a new upgrade for Unit 05, concerning the Progressive Blade technology and a new flaw discovered. The Blade itself is not flawed, but the design is flawed. It was apparently designed only for the Unit. Therefore we would have to completely redesign it to make it adaptable for the other units, but that would only lead to even further problems. Most likely it would fail."

"That does not matter. Anyways, is everything set for tomorrow?"

"Yes, I have made all the arrangements. It will be something they will not forget for a long time. I promise that it will etch itself into their very souls."

"I hope so for your sake, otherwise things will only go to hell."

The Commander smirked at his friend, "Trust me old friend, it will work."

It was Christmas Eve and the pilots were hanging around in Burnaby, as they wanted to get away from the busy streets of Vancouver. Jon was giving the pilots a tour of his home area, showing them the area where his Squadron met every week, his old high school and elementary school as well. They had just passed the elementary school and walking along a quiet road when they heard someone yelling from behind them.

"_HEY DANGY POO! LONG TIME NO SEE!_" Jon groans for a moment before turning around.

"_FUCK YOU PAUL!_" Jon yells back, causing everyone to cover their ears, "_YOU KNOW I HATE THAT!_"

"_EXACTLY WHY I CALL YOU THAT DANGY POO! BY THE WAY, RAJEN, DARYL AND STEWIE SAY HI!_"

"_LONG TIME NO SEE GUYS!_" The pilots gave Jon looks of amazement as they watched Jon have a long distance conversation with someone a block away. Pretty soon Jon's friends had approached them. The one called Paul was way; way taller than Jon, had a hair cut similar to Jon, but had brown hair, had stubbles growing and had green eyes. Rajen was Hindu looking with brown skin, black eyes, black hair, and a moustache. Stewie was blond, blue eyes and also had facial hair. All three were relatively the same height, all taller than Jon. The last one, Daryl, was Jon's height, and had hair color exact to Asuka, and as well as blue eyes, and had a thick beard and moustache on his face.

"_Guys, these are my fellow pilots, Shinji Ikari, his girlfriend, Rei Ayanami, Asuka Soryu Langley, Toji Suzuhara, Natasha Kanatnikov, and Jane Tao,_" all the pilots nodded respectfully, "Guys, these are my friends, Paul Krueger, Rajen Prasad, and my old neighbour, Daryl Bowen?"

"_Asuka, you German?_" Daryl suddenly asks, pointing to Asuka.

"What he say?"

"He asked if you are German," Rei states.

"_Yes, I'm German. Why are, you German too? _" Asuka replies in her native tongue.

"_Yes actually I am. Where you from? _" Daryl replies. Suddenly they break off into a conversation in German leaving the other pilots bewildered and confused, while Paul, Jon and Rajen, watch Daryl and Asuka talk, in amusement.

"_Oh boy,_" Jon suddenly groans, "_How is this going to work out? We have two people who know jack all English._"

"_Eh, no problems Dang, besides, we don't need words where we're going,_" Paul replies.

"_Lesters?_" Jon asks

"_The one and only,_" Rajen replies.

Jon then turns to face the pilots, "You guys wanna hit an arcade for a few hours before we head back?" Everyone looks at each other for a moment before nodding.

"_We're in._" And so the pilots spent the majority of their afternoon with Jon's friends playing various arcade games, ranging from Initial D2, to Drum Mania, to playing Battlefield 1942 on the computers up at the arcade. They spent a good few hours up at the arcade. Soon 5:00 rolled around, which meant it was time for the pilots to head back, and they were saying their goodbyes to Jon's friends.

"_That was bloody amazing,_" Daryl breathes out, "_Best game I have ever played. I swear, the next time you guys come back here, we have to do that again._"

"_Too true,_" Jon replies, then facing Asuka and Toji, "He said that the game of Battlefield 1942 we just played was the best he has every played, and that the next time we come by here, he wants for all of us to get together and play again."

"Oh yeah, definitely," Toji replies enthusiastically.

"We would be nuts not to come back here!" Asuka states.

"_Well looks like everyone agrees,_" Paul comments. Suddenly 3 SUV pulls into the driveway.

"_Sweet ride Dang,_" Rajen comments.

"_Thanks guys. Anyways, I gotta get going. Nice seeing you guys again. I'll talk to you guys on MSN sometime, and god I hope that I get my Warrants._"

"_Warrants? As if, you're only a Sergeant._" Paul states smugly.

"_And you are?_" Jon asks, raising an eyebrow.

"_Just got my Flight Sergeants at the first Tuesday of the month,_" Paul proudly responds.

"_Just got mine on Sat, and I just had my Warrant Officer Review Boards yesterday,_" Jon replies, causing all three of Jon's friends to look at him in shock.

"_How the hell did you get a shot of being a Warrant Officer before me! I've been a Flight Sergeant for 8 months now!_" Daryl states in utter shock.

Jon however shrugged, "_Perks of being an Eva pilot I suppose,_" he then hops into the car, "_See you guys later. May ye all rot in hell!_" He then closes the door as the car starts to drive away, as his friend's wave him goodbye.

**(A/N: Now for the part you have been waiting for, the actual Christmas event. I suggest that you take a break, as this will be a huge segment. AND I MEAN HUGE! On word, it's over 15 pages long!)**

It was around 6:30 that night, and everyone was in their rooms, changing into some nice clothes. Shinji was wearing a yellow suit, green dress shirt and a red tie. Shinji had just put his shoes on when Rei came out of the washroom. Shinji mouth gapped in awe, as Rei had opted to wear a blue dress. The dress was of a see through material, save for the chest area which looked very much like a tank top. The bottom half of the dress reached down to her knees, and it covered from her waist down, revealing a bit of her abdomen and lower back.

**(A/N: I will post a picture on a website I'm making for this)**

"You look beautiful Rei-chan," Shinji complimented, as he pulls Rei in and kisses her on the lips which she returned.

"Thank you Shinji-kun. You look good yourself," Rei replies before she pulls away to put on her own shoes. 'She'll look even more beautiful after tonight," Shinji thinks to himself as he watches the blue beauty slip on a pair of semi high heels.

"C'mon Rei-chan, everyone else is probably just outside waiting," said Shinji as he grasps the door handle with one hand while he holds our his other hand. Rei smiles as she takes his hand, as he opens the door. Indeed everyone was outside. Shinji and Rei exit their room to see everyone was wearing stunning clothing.

Jane had chosen to wear a Chinese dress, sleeveless revealing a Ying Yang tattoo on her right arm. The sides of her dress had slits which ran up the side of her legs, reaching halfway up her thighs. The dress itself was black red with gold trimmings and had a golden dragon circling up around her, her hair tied up into a neat bun, and also had a red eye shadow and lip gloss. Asuka wore a red cocktail dress, which exposed her arms. She kept her hair as she normally does, but wore a pair of red high heels, a slit on the left side of her dress reaching halfway up her thigh, and also wore a bit of blush, some orange eye shadow and lipstick. Natasha wore a similar dress except that it was black with yellow trimmings, wore no makeup and had her hair braided in a manner so that it hung over her right shoulder. Toji and Jon opted to simply wear dress shirts and black pants, Toji's shirt was blue and had a red tie, Jon wore a grey shirt and left it when open collar which happened to work well with his gelled hair. Gendo was nowhere in sight, and Kozou dressed exactly like Toji except that his pants were tan and his shirt was sky blue, and had a green tie, and wore a tan tunic as well.

"So where's Kaji and Misato?" Shinji asked when he noticed that the two were not where to be seen.

"They're with your father helping him with something. He also wants us up here until he calls," Kozou replied.

Suddenly Jon's cell phone rang, quickly answering it, "_Yellow_, Jon speaking," a momentary pause, "I'm assuming there's a nearby power source, and do you want to go over it or should I do as I please?" another pause, "Alright then, I'll bring it down now, should I bring the others?" one more pause, "Alright then, I'll see you in a moment." He turns off his cell phone and walks to his room.

"Apparently Gendo-san wants me downstairs to help him with something. I'll come up when he's ready." He then momentarily disappears into his room, and then comes out with a laptop carrying case in one hand, his poker set in the other.

"Just in case we have nothing to do," Jon states, flashing a goofy smile holding up his carrying case. He then presses the elevator button and quickly goes inside and heads down stairs.

"Jeez, Shinji, what could be taking your dad so long?" Toji asked, scratching the back of his head.

Shinji shrugged his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around Rei's waist, "I don't really know, knowing him, he's probably on NERV business."

'Don't be too sure Shinji,' Kozou thinks to himself. He watches the pilots interact with one another when another thought occurred, 'They sure have changed. I remember how reserved Shinji and Rei were, and how arrogant Asuka was. They sure have changed. Asuka has learned to respect the pilots, while Shinji has gotten rid of that self loathing attitude whereas Rei has developed her humanity. I'm proud of you three. I'm sure that whatever fate has in store for you and the others, you will get through his one together, unlike last time.'

Everyone stayed upstairs for a while longer before Jon returned, "Hey guys grab your coats. Gendo-san wants me to take you to the banquet hall." He then quickly ran into his room.

"Banquet hall!" the pilots screamed in utter shock. Kozou merely smiled as he proceeded towards the elevator, coat already in hand. After getting over their shock, everyone quickly ran into their rooms, grabbing coats before heading into the elevator as Jon waited. Soon everyone was inside, allowing Jon to press the button for the ground floor.

As they waited for the elevator to reach ground floor, Shinji had a question, "Wait, so my father's been downstairs **with** Misato and Kaji?"

"Yup," Jon nonchalantly replied, "He's been down there all day apparently, and I'm going to let you see what he was doing. And not downstairs, they're actually in another building."

"I don't like the sound of his," Shinji quietly said to himself darkly.

"Shinji-kun, please do not make such presumption," Rei softly spoke into his ear, "You have not exactly been giving your father a chance."

"Why should I?" Shinji growled, trying to keep his voice and temper down, "I mean, ever since this whole Hellspawn Advocate scenario been occurring, he's been putting everyone who's injured in danger. Why should I even let a man like him try?"

"Have you not seen his attempts to reconcile with you, Shinji-kun," Rei firmly asked, "Have you not seen him open himself? Like the time he more or less gave us permission to court one another providing we can keep that life and our work as Eva pilots separate? What about the time he gave you a choice to pilot your Eva during the 3rd Advocate, and you chose to pilot? You could have refused, but you did not. If you look closely to his actions he has been trying to be a father to you. I am sure your mother sees that."

"You don't know what. No body knows that, not even me," Shinji replied.

Kozou who had been listening in smirked, 'Again, don't been too sure Shinji. Your mother is more aware that you think. I think she can see your pain whenever you pilot Unit 01. It's a shame that she cannot act on it though because of her current state.' The elevator bell rang when they reached ground floor. Jon led the way going through various crowds until they reached the main doors where they gasped at the beautiful sight before them.

It was snowing. Everyone watched in awe as they saw how the white flakes gently fall down, slowly blanketing the ground before them. However it was not much, as the roads were still busy, but there, the snow was still visible along the roads and sidewalks, mixed in with the slush that had formed from driving over or walking over.

"So what do you think of snow?" Jon asked, facing everyone, seeing the look of awe in their faces.

"Mien gott im himmel," Asuka breathed out.

"It's beautiful," Natasha quietly stated as she marvelled at the snowfall, "Only the beauty of Mother Russia can truly compare with snow."

"Never seen anything like it," said Jane.

"And probably never will again in your lifetime," Kozou stated. Shinji and Rei smiled at the sight as she held each other closely, enjoying the snowfall.

"Not much to see here. Where we're going, it's to look a lot nicer," Jon stated as he zipped up his coat and walked onto the sidewalk before taking a right. Everyone quickly followed suit as they caught up, staying close behind him. They walked for about five minutes, silent as they were still entranced by the snowfall. Soon Jon had taken them to a building surrounded by pine trees along the edge of the properties, the top of the building had neon lights flashing, Luxury Hall.

"So is this it?" Shinji asked, looking up at the building. Its height was about halfway up an Eva's calf.

"Yup," Jon replied in the same nonchalant manner, "Oh and observe the snow around here." Everyone took a moment to 'observe' the snow as Jon told them to. It was a rather marvellous sight, as the snow formed a thin blanket overtop of the grass, the trees collected piles of snow along various places, and even the roof and some of the ledges along the building here covered in snow. They marvelled at the sight for a while longer before Jon told them to follow him in. Once inside, they were greeted by a few waiters who took their coats and put them away. Jon led them into a hall where they were greeted by an even beautiful surprise.

It was a massive ball room, large enough to store an Eva's foot. Kaji was on the far end, wearing a black suit, blue dress shirt and red tie. He could be seen working on a small platform, with the help of a few men, setting up speakers, a microphone, and plugging Jon's computer into the speakers. Along the left side of the room was a huge selection of various delicacies, dishes, appetizers, and the like. Throughout the center of the room, was a large amount of circular tables, all of them with around 5 to 7 chairs each. Lastly, along the right side of the hall was a rather large space where more speakers were being set up, which would be the dance floor. The carpet of the room was red, white walls, with beautiful chandeliers hanging from the ceilings. Each window along the sides were decorated with wreathes, tinsels and the like. Also, in the far right corner was a massive Christmas tree, highly decorated with ornaments, lights, and tinsel. On the top was an angel, holding a star above her head. Underneath the tree, were the wrapped up presents everyone was asked to give the three adults earlier that day.

"So we're opening them up tonight?" Asuka asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Most likely," Toji replied, "However how are we going to bring all of gifts back home?"

"I highly doubt that you could carry all of them," Misato suddenly states from behind, making them jump. Everyone turns to see Misato walking up to them, wearing the blue cocktail dress that Asuka, Misato and Natasha, had fought over when they left. She wore a bit of pink lipstick, and some eye shadow. She stops in front of them, shifting her weight onto one leg as she places her hand on her raised hip.

"But there'll probably some that you can take home, just not all of them. Anyways, don't worry about it yet, we'll worry about how to get all of your 'things' back into the hotel tomorrow. For now, enjoy yourselves, help yourself to some punch, we still have a bunch of guests who are still arriving."

"More guests?" Natasha asked.

"Who else are we inviting?" Jane asked.

"Let's see," Misato pondered for a moment, "Oh yeah, the families of the pilots, a few of our friends from Japan, some of Jon's friends, a bunch of delegates and their friends, uh…I think that's about it."

"We also have Captain Jag Masson joining us," Gendo stated as he approached them, "And a few selected Cadets from Flight Sergeant Dang's squadron. And another thing," turning his head to face Jon, "Your family will be arriving with your uniform. You are to change into your uniform. Is that understood?"

"What?" Jon whined, "Damn it, yes sir."

"_Hey Jonny we're here,_" a voice suddenly cries out in a singsong manner. Jon wheels around to see his family approaching them. His sister, Andrea is waving to Jon. She is wearing a Vietnamese dress called Ao Dai **(A/N: It's Vietnamese, the D is pronounced with a Y sound if there's no line in the D).** It was a contoured, full-length crimson dress, with a black dragon design, worn over white loose-fitting long pants. The dress splits into a front and back panel from the waist down. Michelle wore a simple black cocktail dress, with high heels. Jennifer wore a short sleeved dress, baby blue colour; her hair tied into a simple pony tail and had a bit of blush as well. Sonny wore a dark grey suit, with a light grey dress shirt and a brown tie.

"_Here,_" Mr. Dang states as he hands Jon his uniform, "_We got a call saying you needed this._"

Jon sighs heavily as he takes the uniform, "_Yeah, apparently Gendo-san wants me to wear my uniform tonight._" He then lets out another heavy sigh as he trudges away to the nearest washroom.

"_Mr. Dang, can I please speak with you a moment?_" Gendo asks, beckoning him to follow.

"So anyways, with that aside, how have you guys been since we last met?" Andrea asks in Japanese.

"Wait…You can speak Japanese?" Toji asks, bewildered.

Andrea flashes a big smile, "Yeah, I hope it's no problem," she then looks around to see Shinji had turned his back on her and started to walk into the ball room, "And here's Shinji! As you can see, I've come back as I promised." Rei instantly stopped in her tracks and gives her the same death glare which Andrea fell completely oblivious of. She approaches Shinji about to wring him around the neck when Rei grabs her arm. Andrea gives her a knowing glance.

"I'm just trying to give said target my customary hello," Andrea states cheerfully, finger pointing at his face.

"Kindly keep your hands to yourself. I wish that you do not harass Shinji-kun," Rei replies dangerously.

"I'm sorry, give me a break, I do this lots of people," Andrea laughs half-heartedly, removing her arm, her glances turning into a playful grin.

"H-How did this custom come along?" Shinji asks nervously.

"That's… 'a secret!'" Andrea winks at Shinji. **(An/N: Xellos Metallium anyone?)**

"I will not allow unwelcome contact occur so long as he deems it unwelcome," Rei replies in the same icy tone.

"_Andy, in case you didn't notice… she's dying your hand…two ways_" Michelle states. Andrea looks to her hand and panics to see it turning a healthy… or rather unhealthy shade of purple.

"Ow—hand—dying—circulation—stopping—remove! PLEASE!" Andrea pries her way out of Rei's grip of death. "Chillax! I already let go of him! Did I just say chillax?" she makes a note of her final words to herself. **(An/N: I'm really not that bad, but this is my inner mental case)**

"I will 'chillax' once I have ascertained that you will not disturb Shinji-kun again," Rei replied before she turns and redirects her attention to Shinji, and follows him into the ballroom.

"Yes, yes. No buggie, no killie, gotcha…" Andrea says. **(An/N: I know, that was colloquial… Silence fools!)**

"Umm…Andrea," Toji began.

"Andy," she sneers dangerously, looming over Toji.

Toji laughs nervously, putting his hands up in a defensive manner, "Heh, heh, my apologies Andy. But word to the wise, don't harass either of them. Shinji may not show it, but if anything happens to Rei, he'll kill you, and visa versa."

"Hmm…a challenge I see," said Andrea as she rubs her chin.

"_Oh boy, there she goes,_" Michelle states, letting out a groan.

"_She's probably going to scheme something big this time. Better warn dad,_" said Jennifer as she walks away to talk to her father.

"_Do so and I will tell Jim about your little day dreams about him!_" Andrea scathingly calls out, pointing to Jennifer, causing her to stop dead in her tracks.

"_You're kidding right sis?_" Jennifer meekly asks as she turns around, the look of fear written all over her face.

"_Yes,_" Andrea replies cheerfully. Jennifer sighs in relief, reminding herself how spontaneous Andrea could be.

Over the next half hour, people begin to arrive, as the families of Toji and Natasha arrive, Jane's younger brother, even Hikari and Kensuke arrive. Also Paul, Daryl, and Rajen arrive along with a few other Cadets from Jon's squadron, all of them clad in their Air Cadet uniform minus their head dress. Even James and Jamie arrive from Japan to attend the dinner.

Misato took Gendo aside and asked him, "Sir, why are those two here? They have no relation to NERV."

Gendo smirked a moment before replying, "They do not know it yet, but the Marduk Institute had tested them a while ago, and have deemed them to be the pilots of Units 08 and 09 when they are completed in the summer. I will not say anything yet, but when school year ends I will be adding them into the fold."

**(A/N: Yes another spoiler to my story which won't be discussed when I put this story into the main stream of things.)**

"_So Jon, why are you in your uniform?_" Daryl asks, as he pours himself a cup of punch.

Jon however shrugs, "_I wouldn't know, I just know that both my NERV CO and our Squadron CO want me to show up in uniform. Probably because I'm part of the squadron, and you guys are here that I am to also, show up in uniform._"

"_Well Flight Sergeant all I can say is that the hair goes well with the uniform, and I'm glad you actually decided to show up in uniform,_" Paul states, patting Jon on the back.

"_Excuse me Daryl,_" said Asuka as she taps him on the shoulder, speaking in German, "_We never got to finish that conversation._"

Daryl turns to his to face Jon and Paul for a moment, "_Excuse me please, but I have other matters to attend to._" He then turns around as he walks away with Asuka babbling in German.

"_Oh, who has the hots for Daryl now,_" Paul teases once the two were out of ear shot.

Jon took a sip of his punch, "_Not likely, she hasn't had contact with anyone German for over two years. Besides, we both know Daryl well enough that he will never ever fall in love with anyone, until he becomes 'Ruler of the World.'_"

"_You never know,_" Paul replies. Jon shudders at the prospect.

Around 7:30 everyone had settled down as they prepared to feast on the rather large selection at the buffet table. However there were apparently two speeches that were to be made before they could feast. As everyone sat down, Gendo went up to the stage and cleared his throat, and tapping a few buttons on Jon's computer. He waited for a moment until a message on the screen displayed, 'Translator Active'.

**(A/N: I know, I know, there is no such thing as a universal translator, but then that would just be a huge hassle for me to actually have translations, so I'm just going to have the speeches done in Japanese, okay?)**

"Good evening everyone, and thank you for coming. As you all know, the pilots came here to spend Christmas, and I must say they have earned the break. I know this is a major gamble to bring the Children here to Vancouver, but I do believe that it well worth the risk, as we have one Eva on standby here at the NERV base in Vancouver, in the situation should a Hellspawn Advocate make an appearance. But moving on, the pilots have done an outstanding job, and they deserve a round of applause." The hall immediately broke out in applause as people clapped for the pilots. Gendo raised his hands to bring silence as he continued.

"I know that you are all hungry, but, there is one further thing that must be stated before we begin. I call on Captain Masson to make his presentation." Every claps as Gendo steps down as an officer clad in the same uniform as Burke, except he was Sikh and had a blue turban on.

"Thank you everyone. I know that all of you are hungry, and I will get straight to the point. First I call upon Flight Sergeant Krueger to retrieve the two boxes underneath our table and bring it up." Everyone looks to see Paul pull out a couple of boxes and brings it up to the Captain, staying at the Captain's request.

"Now, as you know, 637 Arrow Squadron is Flight Sergeant Dang's home squadron, however he is currently under the command of NERV. However he once stated that the squadron is his home, and that the members are his family. And to show our appreciation to a member of the family we have a presentation we would like to make. Flight Sergeant Dang, front and center." Jon quickly jumps up from his seat, and then makes his way to the stage as he stands directly in front of the Captain at attention, his father not too far away with a camera in his hands.

"First of all, Flight Sergeant, remove your tunic," Jon quickly undoes the buttons and belt of his tunic, passing it to Paul, "Now, first thing first, an official business. Flight Sergeant Dang as you know, is the 6th Child and pilot of Evangelion Unit 05. He has fought for his country, his planet, and most of all he has fought for the people he loves. He has performed outstanding services to NERV, and more. Also, on several occasions he has been placed under a position of authority where he has made an exceptional performance. Because of that," he pauses to open the first box, pulling out a tunic which Jon instantly realized as the tunic he left behind in Japan, "I have the pride and joy, to promote Flight Sergeant Dang, to the rank of Warrant Officer 2nd Class." Everyone instantly breaks out into a semi-wild applause as Captain Masson changes the epaulets on his dress shirt before helping him put on his tunic, which had a crown surrounded by laurels badge on the lower sections of each sleeve.

"Now secondly," the Captain began after everyone had calmed down, "I present a gift from our squadron. Due to the nature of the history of our squadron, we have elected to give him, a model replica, of the CF-105, AVRO Arrow." He opens the second box revealing a box of an AVRO Arrow Model kit. Everyone breaks into applause once more as Jon takes out the model kit and holds it up for everyone to see. Jon and the Captain shake hands before all three walk off the stage as Gendo retakes the mike.

"Now that the presentation has been completed, everyone, please enjoy your meal." The evening went by well, as various kinds of music played from Jon's computer, ranging from Rammstein, to T.M. Revolution, to Linkin Park, to all other various bands and music groups. Everyone gave their congratulations to Jon whenever they passed by him, his three closest friends giving him looks of envy, while his family gave him hugs and whatnot while his girlfriend Kristina showered him with kisses. The other pilots and their friends sat at one table together, watching Jon get smothered with kisses, hugs, and congratulations of the sort.

As they ate, Jon and Kristina eventually joined them with plates in their hands, "So what do you think of the food?" Jon asks as he pulls up chairs for himself and Kristina.

"This is actually pretty good stuff," Toji replies with his mouthful, resulting in a smack in the head from Hikari.

"Toji, watch your manners," she growled before turning to Jon, "He's right though, the food here is delicious."

Kensuke swallowed before responding, "You said it Hikari. Best food I have tasted in a long while." Everyone else nodded in agreement except for Shinji and Rei who remained quiet as they ate their food.

"Shinji? Rei? Something wrong?" Jon asked, raising an eyebrow. They remained quiet, transfixed upon the food before them as they continued to eat. After a moment Toji reaches over and flicks Shinji in the forehead bringing him back to reality while Asuka puts her hand on Rei's shoulder and gently shaking her, bringing her out from her reverie.

"What happened?" Shinji asked, as he blinks a few times, while Rei simply looks around as she reorients herself.

"I asked you guys, how was the food," Jon replies as he finishes chewing a piece of steak, "That and what is wrong with you two."

"Sorry," Shinji replies, scratching the back of his head, "The food is great and all but…"

"We are not accustomed to large crowds such as this," said Rei, finishing his sentence, "We prefer quiet areas if possible."

"So that explains why whenever you two are together you try to actually be alone," Jamie comments as she continues to eat her ramen.

Suddenly Andrea appears from behind Jon and places her hands on his shoulder causing him to jump in his seat, "So, how does it feel to be promoted," pauses for a moment, "Corporal?"

"WHAT!" Jon suddenly screams, causing the people at his table to jump, "I hate you sis. Why do you bug me?"

"Because it's fun, but congratulations, I mean it this time!" Andrea replies, smiling widely, before directing her attention towards Shinji, pointing a finger, "You will get my traditional noogie, even if it's the last thing I do."

Rei however did not take her words kindly as she threw yet another death glare, "Touch him without his permission," her voice extremely cold, "I will personally ensure that is the last thing you do."

"Whoa, frosty," Andrea comments, as she raises her hands in front her defensively.

"Umm Andy," Jon states, motioning his hand for his sister to come closer, whispering in her ear, "_Back off sis. This isn't funny anymore. During the first Advocate, Rei went on a rampage and more or less personally killed it. Then last month Rei was nearly raped, Shinji almost killed the rapist, if the police hadn't shown up when they did. Don't test them, I beg of you._" Andrea ponders for a moment before letting out a sigh.

"Fine, fine, I'll keep my hands off your boyfriend." She then lets out a sigh of defeat as she picks up her plate and walks to the buffet table to grab more food.

"Sorry about that, but my sis can be rather…playful at times, but she's really cool." said Jon as he turns his attention to eating his steak and talking with his girlfriend again. Shinji and Rei on the other hand look at each other for a moment before they took their plates and stood up.

"Where are you two going?" Asuka asks, raising an eyebrow.

"We wish to separate ourselves from the crowd as much as possible," Rei replies as she and Shinji walk to a table set up near one of the windows opposite the buffet table. They sit themselves down, their backs facing the crowd as they look outside to see the night sky lit up by the stars and the moon as they watch the snow to continuously fall.

"It's a beautiful sight isn't it Rei-chan?" Shinji asks, as he continues to watch, his food forgotten. Rei shuffles her chair over so that it's right next to Shinji as she leans herself against him.

"It is a beautiful sight. I wish that we had such a view back home.

"Well we could easily just stay up late and look out on the balcony. It's big enough for us to look at the night sky."

"However, the snow fall adds to the beauty that we see before us. We would most likely not get that sort of view in Japan."

Shinji wraps his arm around Rei's shoulders, "I suppose not. But let's just enjoy what we have here at the moment Rei-chan." She snuggles herself closer to Shinji as they continued to watch the night sky.

Around 8:30 everyone had finished eating their meals and was simply chatting amongst themselves, listening to the music, dancing a bit and the like. Rei noticed the subtle change in the environment as she noticed that some people where moving about as various groups were having louder conversations then they did a while ago. Seeing Jon on the platform on his computer, Rei told Shinji that she would be back in a moment, and then ran off and spoke with Jon.

"Excuse me Jon-kun," said Rei as she approaches him. Jon turns around, remaining his in crouched position and looks up to see Rei looming over him.

"What can I do for you Rei-san?" Jon replies.

"I am wondering, do you have Fields of Hope on your laptop?"

"Uh…Hold on a second," he then goes through his files for a moment before facing Rei again, "Yup, I have it. Why? You want to perform it?" she nods her head, "Well if you want, I can have it set up to be the sixth song played, and have that as the first slow dance song if you want."

"But how can I possibly sing the song and dance at the same time?"

"That's easy," he then pulls out a cordless headset, "With this baby, you can dance and sing. Wireless tech these days are a beauty. Start counting when you heard the song Zips."

"So will it be Zips, 4 other songs, and then Fields of Hope?" Jon nods as he turns his attention back towards his computer, "Thank you Jon-kun. I will be back during the 5th song." Rei starts to walk away when Jon starts playing Zips, by TM Revolution. 'One,' Rei thinks to herself as she walks back to Shinji who had left his quiet recluse and was talking with Toji and Kensuke.

"Why were you talking with Jon?" Shinji asks, wrapping an around Rei's waist.

"I was asking a favour of Jon-kun," Rei replies, placing a kiss on Shinji's cheek.

Meanwhile, all five girls were conversing with one another, "Asuka," Natasha began, "Why have you been talking with Daryl lately?"

"Does the Fire Demon have the hots for someone?" Jane asks, smiling mischievously.

"What!" Asuka blurts nearly spiting out her drink, "Are you kidding me? Besides, he's not my type. He's a gamer, and more or less a lazy ass. Why the fuck would I want to hang out with someone like him in that manner. I talk to him because he's German, and it's been a while since I've used my mother tongue."

"Are you sure that's the only reason" Jamie asks, as she reties her shoulder length hair.

"I'm positive," Asuka replies firmly.

"Fine, fine, we'll back off on that subject," Natasha replies defeated, before turning her attention towards Hikari, "So how have you been Hikari? Before you came here that is?"

"I've been okay," she calmly replies, "I've missed Toji though. I'm glad to be with him, but I'm going to let him be with Kensuke for a while before I spend the rest of the days with him."

"Well you could spend time with him later tonight when everyone else minus the pilots and a select few stay behind to open presents," Asuka suggest.

Hikari's eyes lit up, "Really? I'll go ask Toji about it then." She then runs off to Toji, while the other girls continue their conversation.

"Damn she…huh?" she pauses when she hears the familiar whistling intro of Engel, (written by Rammstein), "SWEET! JON ACTUALLY PUT ON RAMMSTEIN! I'M SO DANCING TO THIS!" She suddenly starts to dance to the song, closely followed by a few others as they pick up on the beat.

Misato on the other hand was having a conversation with Andrea, "So Andy, got any interesting info on your brother I could use?"

"Well…" Andrea ponders for a moment to think upon this, "I suppose there's his Warhammer craze, but the only time he'll ever get deep into it is if you share in the hobby. Then there's his poker set, if you can steal he'll go crazy over it. But honestly, it's really hard for me to give you any secrets, unless you're in the family."

"Oh well," Misato replies, waving her hand, "I guess I'll have to find my own means of messing with him."

"It's more fun when you discover your own ways to make him mad, as then he has no way to defend against it," Andrea replies, giving Misato a wink.

"That is so true," returning the wink with a smile.

"So what are you two ladies talking about exactly?" Kaji asks, as he approaches the two females.

"Oh just ways on irritating Jon," Misato replies, flashing a big smile.

"You haven't discovered anything about him have you?" Andrea asks in a rather eagerly manner.

"Not really, unless you count his girlfriend," Kaji replies.

Suddenly they hear someone yell out, "EXCELLENT CHOICE IN MUSIC DANG!" as Blow Me Away, by Breaking Benjamin starts playing. Rei, who had been counting the number of songs excused herself as she made her way towards the stage, taking her time as the song had only begun. Everyone else was having a good time, dancing to the upbeat song, talking with their friends and the like. Most of the Cadets had changed into civilian clothing, but a few chose to remain in uniform, but took of their tunics and ties. Rei had reached the stage and was talking with Jon quietly, while Shinji and Kensuke were talking about things, while Toji and Hikari spent some time alone.

Pretty soon the song ended, as the music stopped as they heard a coughing, turning their attention towards Jon, who had taken off his tunic and tie as well, "Ladies and Gentlemen, at a personal request, I am please to introduce to you, Rei Ayanami, who will be singing to us, Fields of Hope, by Lacus Clyne. This will be the first, slow song of the night." He quickly turns to his computer, and presses a few buttons before calling out to Rei, who suddenly comes out from behind the tree.

"Thank you, as you know, I am Rei Ayanami, 1st Child, the Pilot of Unit 00. However that is my position at NERV. Outside, I am a simple girl, whose major aspiration in life is, to be with the one she loves, and to have a good life after high school, and after our usefulness as Eva Pilots has ended. Without further ado, I present one of my gifts, to Shinji Ikari." Shinji blushes as people start to applause, while Jon presses a few more keys, and hits play.

As the song begins, she walks up to Shinji. As she begins to sing, she takes the stunned and blushing Shinji and walks him to the center, placing his hands on her waist, before placing her hands on his shoulder, as she begins to dance, until Shinji woke up.

_konna ni tsumetai tobari no fukaku deBeneath a veil so cold,_

_anata wa hitori de nemutteruYou deeply sleep, all alone_

_inori no utagoe sabishii nohara woThe melody of prayer; on the lonely fields,_

_chiisa na hikari ga terashitetaa little light shined_

Realising that she wanted to dance with him, Shinji summoned all of his courage as he slowly takes control over the dance, leading her through the dance floor. People begin to catch on as they picked out partners and started to dance with them. Some particular pairs were Jon and Kristina, Kaji and Misato, and Toji and Hikari. Many others paired up as they listened to the girl sing along with the playback.

_anata no yume wo mitetaI watched as you dreamed_

_kodomo no you ni warattetaYou laughed like a child_

_natsukashiku mada tookuSo dear, and yet so far -_

_sore wa mirai no yakusokuThat is the promise of our future_

As the two danced, simply stared into each others eyes as they saw the happiness and the blissfulness in their eyes, enjoying the song they both held dear to their hearts, dancing away, not a care in the world. They were completely oblivious to the world around them. As Rei continued to sing, Shinji felt entranced by her elegant voice, as it harmonised with the voice of Lacus, creating an angelic sound.

_itsuka midori no asa niThat one day, on a green morning,_

_itsuka tadoritsukeru toOne day, we will make it there_

_fuyugareta kono sora woBecause in this wintered sky_

_shinjiteiru karaWe still believe_

_Fields of hopeFields of Hope_

_umarete kita hi ni dakishimete kuretaOn the day we were born, we were embraced_

_yasashii ano te wo sagashiteruAnd now we search for those gentle hands again_

_inori no utagoe hitotsu kiete mata hajimaruThe melody of prayer; one vanishes,_

_tayorinaku setsunaku tsuzukuAnd all begins again; a powerless, painful continuation_

_itsuka midori no asa eOne day, to that green morning,_

_subete no yoru wo koeteWe'll cross through all these nights_

_sore wa tada hitori zutsuBecause that is the place each one of us _

_mitsukete yuku basho dakarasearches for_

_ima wa tada kono mune deNow, within my own heart,_

_anata wo atatametaiI want to keep you warm_

_natsukashiku mada tooiSo dear, and yet so far -_

_yasuragi no tame niIn the name of peace_

_Fields of hopeFields of Hope_

_natsukashiku mada tooiSo dear, and yet so far -_

_yakusoku no noharaThe fields of promise_

_Fields of hopeFields of hope_

_Fields of hopeFields of hope_

As the song ended, Shinji and Rei lean in as they kissed, Rei pulling the microphone away as their lips touched. As they kissed, they could feel the warmth and love they had for one another. They were in total bliss. They had just shared their first dance with each other, not to mention one of their favourite songs, and to top it off they end up sharing a loving kiss at the end, not aware many had watched them do so.

When they broke the kiss, Rei quietly whispered to Shinji, "I love you Shinji-kun."

Shinji holds her tightly, "I love you two, Rei-chan." Lucky for them, Jon had disengaged Rei's headset when the song had ended, thus only the two had heard their words of love to one another.

"Rei," a deep voice suddenly calls out from behind her. She spins around to see Gendo in tears with a wide smile on his face.

"Yes, Ikari-san?" Rei replies politely. Shinji instantly held Rei closer to him for fear his father might do something irrational.

"I just wanted to say that," he pauses as he pulls out a handkerchief from his pocket, wiping away the tears, "That was the most beautiful thing I have ever heard, since Yui sung that song during our wedding."

"I had acquired a taste of that song from her?" Rei asks, puzzled of how Shinji's mother could still be influencing her.

Gendo chuckled for a moment, "Do not forget, the first, two were composed of a 50-50 mixture of Yui and Lilith. I would not have been surprised, had I let you grow, you would have picked up on a lot of Yui's habits. Plus, all three brain patterns of Rei have fused to create an original Rei Ayanami. So I am not surprised that you picked up a few of my wife's passion, however I never expected that you would have picked up on her voice. That was beautiful," he looks to Shinji, "Take good care of her. I know how important she is to you, just as Yui was to me. I know you can never truly forgive me but, I hope that we can be on better terms." He nods and turns away and walks off towards Kozou who apparently had been watching the whole time.

Rei turns around and faces Shinji, "As I said before, if you look closely, your father is trying to reconcile with you. He just opened with you."

"I can see that now Rei-chan. But still, I can't forgive him completely. He abandoned me when I was 4. How does that make me feel? I can still remember that day. I can never truly erase the image of his back." Rei leans up and gently kisses him on the lips.

"Do not dwell in the past, Shinji-kun. Look towards the future, and try to build a better future for yourself. Do not let your father's past actions hinder you. Live in the present."

Shinji hums in agreement and holds her closer, "You were always pretty wise when it came to life. That's one of the many thing I love about you." Rei simply rested her head against Shinji's shoulder as she felt comfort and warmth in his arms.

The night continued on, with people dancing with one another, having conversations of the sort, and what not. Pretty soon however, 11:00 rolled around and people began to leave. Everyone started to say their goodbyes as they left for much needed sleep or much needed opening of their presents underneath their own Christmas tree. By midnight, only the pilots, Kensuke, Hikari, Jane's brother, Kristina and the four adult chaperones remained.

Gendo takes a moment to look around before speaking, "Now that our guests have left, I suppose it is time for us to open our gifts?" Everyone started to jump for joy as they gathered around the tree. They all started to sort out their gifts for one another; however it quickly turned into a huge ruckus that Gendo had everyone back away from the massive tree. Afterwards he and Kozou approached the tree and called out names, passing the gifts, passing each gifts to the proper recipients. Pretty soon everyone had their gifts sorted and started to open them.

Shinji's first gift was a thin, rectangular shaped present. He quickly pulls off the wrappers and softly gasps at the present which was once hidden by the wrapping paper. It was a picture of him when he was a baby in the arms of his mother. Both of them had wide smiles on their faces. Shinji couldn't help but cry at the fact he now had a picture of his mother. He looks at the tag, gasping as he looks up to see his father smiling at him. Everyone looks over his shoulder to see what he was crying out.

"Wow Shinji, your mother is beautiful," Misato comments.

"So that's where you get your good looks from eh?" Kaji states teasingly.

'So that is the woman who helped me, and whose DNA was used to create my human form. I can now understand why Shinji once told me that I would make a good mother,' Rei thinks to herself.

Shinji then gets up and walks up to his father, a smile on his face as well, "Thank you father. You have no idea how long I've wanted a picture of mom."

"I know that one gift cannot gain your forgiveness, but I hope that it is a start," Gendo quietly replies, looking down at the ground.

Shinji lowers himself as he hugs father, "It's a start," he manages to say before he and Gendo start crying. Everyone watches the joyous moment between father and son. Jon instantly whips out a digital camera and quickly takes a picture of the touching scene before them.

After the touching moment, Shinji retakes his place on the floor next to Rei to see her open up his gift. He smiles as he watches her slowly open the gift. She stops a moment to look at the tag, and smiles at Shinji as she continues to unwrap her present. She raises an eyebrow in confusion for a moment, wondering what was inside the box. She then slowly opens the box, gasping at the necklace within.

Asuka who was not too far away sees the necklace and gasps, "Mien gott im himmel! Rei, that's gorgeous! Who got it for you?" Rei starts to cry and looks to Shinji, smiling brightly at her.

In a fit of joy she hurriedly puts the case down and tackles Shinji, saying to him, "Thank you so much Shinji-kun," afterwards, kissing him with all the love and passion she could muster. Shinji couldn't help but oblige as their tongues met and danced within the privacy of each other's mouths. Everyone watch, touched by the scene while Jon whips out the same camera and is about to take it when Toji and Asuka clocks in the head, scolding of how such a tender moment should never be captured like that.

After a while, they break their kiss, however Rei remains on top of Shinji for a while longer before getting off of him, allow him to sit up straight and clear up a kink in his back. Shinji then reaches over and picks up the necklace, unclasping the hook, while at the same time asking Rei to turn around. She complies as she holds up her ponytail, giving Shinji access to her neck. He quickly puts the necklace around her neck, clasping the hook. The jewel rested against her chest just below her collarbone. Rei turns around to let Shinji see the necklace, and what a sight it was. Shinji had a feeling that the ruby would bring out her eyes, but he never expect for it to help bring out a glow in her eyes he had never seen before. He couldn't help but smile at the rare beauty that stood before him.

"Wow Rei, it looks good on you," Misato comments after a moment of silence.

"Indeed," Natasha says in agreement, "It really brings out your eyes."

"Told you man," said Toji, placing a hand on Shinji's shoulder, "What did I tell ya? I knew she would like it, especially since it's coming from you."

Shinji's laughs out at his friends, "Yeah, you were right man."

"Can I at least take a picture of her wearing her necklace?" Jon whines. Rei nods as she turns to face Jon.

"Hey Shinji, mind standing behind Rei and hold her? I'd like to get a shot of both the boyfriend and girlfriend." Both of them blushed for a moment, but complied. Shinji stood behind Rei, wrapping his arms around her waist, resting his head against her shoulder. Jon takes a moment to line up the shot, and then takes it.

Gendo couldn't help but smile at the scene before him, "Shinji and Rei look happy." Gendo turns around to see Kozou had spoken.

"That is true old friend. Shinji has really grown up since 3rd Impact. He's finally grown into a person I can actually be proud of."

"You're not just saying that are you?"

"No," Gendo replies shaking his head, "I'm dead serious. He has become much more of a man than I will ever be. I know that for sure now."

"Don't forget old friend, he is still in high school, and has this year, plus 2 more years of school because of 3rd Impact. You still have a chance to be a father to him and help him make some life changing choices later. Such as post-secondary, possibly marriage, maybe even a career. If you can open yourself, he will turn to you when the time comes."

"It's going to be a long road, but I think the end will be rewarding when me and Shinji can be a family again."

After everyone had settled down, they resumed opening their presents. Jon freaked over the various Warhammer 40,000 models everyone got him, specifically a Battleforce Set from Kristina and the Carnifex from Shinji. Kristina ends up squealing, glomping Jon as she showers him with kisses for getting her a saka-batou. **(A/N: That's Kenshin's reverse blade Katana) **Kensuke got a new digital camcorder from Toji, Hikari got a picture frame of her and Toji from a date they had a while back. Toji received various spots equipment and even a bottle of deodorant. Asuka received various clothes, mostly sundresses, but she loved them none the less. Natasha received mostly money, but she did not mind as she knew she kept most of her personal secrets to herself. However she smiled receiving pair of 9mm handguns from Shinji, replacing the one she destroyed during the infiltration attempt back in November. Misato loved the lavender perfume from Shinji, giving him a bear hug as she thanks him. Kaji received mostly shaving cream or kits from everyone, which highly amused him as he's been meaning to get some lately.

Rei was now watching Shinji open his final gift, which happened to be from Rei. Shinji gasped at the iPod box before him, but his face saddened as he handed the box to Rei.

"Thank you Rei-chan, but I cannot accept this. It can never replace my S-DAT player."

Rei however pushes the box back to him, "I know it cannot, however, I think you will appreciate this one," Shinji looks at her both confused and pleadingly, as he did not want the player, "At least open it for me." Shinji sighs in defeat as he opens the box and pulls out the player. The casing was blue, the same shade of blue as her hair while the controls were red. Rei then takes the player and turns it around, then puts it back in his hands, and points to the engraving.

Shinji gasps as he reads aloud, "Wherever you go, wherever you are, if you listen to the music, you are listening to me." He turns and looks at Rei to see her smiling widely, while everyone was in awe at the message Rei had engraved into the casing of the iPod.

"Th-th-thank you, Rei-chan," said Shinji as he hugs her, "I'll treasure it forever."

"You're welcome, Shinji-kun," she replies, as she hugs him back, "I choose my gifts wisely, as I do my words. Remember that."

Shinji sniffs as he replies, "I'll remember that always."

"Aww, such a beautiful sight, eh?" Jon comments as he watches the two lovers hold one another.

Gendo then looks at his watch and says to everyone, "It's getting late, and we all need out sleep. Let's get head back and get to bed," he then looks towards the door, "When I call for you, please head outside. I will see if our rides are here." He then turns and walks away, while everyone starts to gather whatever gifts they could take back. Gendo soon returns, sticking his head in.

"Everyone, please proceed outside, as the vehicles that will take us back to our appropriate homes have arrived."

"Appropriate homes sir?" Misato calls out, as the group starts to head outside.

"That is correct," Gendo replies, nodding his head, "Our guests are situated in different hotels, and friends are required to return home. Everyone else shall be returning to the hotel." Everyone quickly says their goodbyes in the warm comfortable banquet hall before putting on their coats and stepping out into the cold. Almost everyone starts to shiver in the cold save for a few such as Jon, Kristina and Shinji who wore thicker coats. Couples held on to one another for warmth as they wait for the SUVs to park. Once parked, Gendo directed the guests to their appropriate vehicles, before telling the pilots, Kaji, Misato and Kozou to hop in to the remaining cars. Soon everyone returned to the Hotel Vancouver, instantly heading into their rooms, exhausted from the night.

Shinji and Rei walk into their room where they begin to strip themselves of their formal clothes.

"So what did you think of tonight, Rei-chan?" Shinji lazily asks as he hangs his tunic onto the a hanger, placing it into the closet, then starting to undo the buttons of his dress shirt.

"It was most enjoyable Shinji-kun," Rei replies in the same exhausted manner as she fumbles with the small buttons on the back of her dress, "Shinji-kun, can you help me undo the buttons of my dress?"

"Just a sec," Shinji replies, as he takes off his dress shirt, lazily throwing it onto the couch. He then hurries up to Rei, and undoes the miniscule buttons. She thanks him as she removes the dress from herself, letting it fall around her feet, revealing her to be braless and only in a pair of blue panties. Shinji suddenly blushes bright red as Rei turns around revealing her plump breasts.

"Is something wrong, Shinji-kun?" Rei asks concerned, as she approaches the highly embarrassed boy, placing a hand on his forehead, "You are not running a fever. What is causing your sudden increase in facial color?"

"Uh…Rei-chan…you know that you are standing half-naked in front of me right?" Shinji says in a very slow manner.

Rei raises an eyebrow and looks at herself for a moment before looking up again, "What is wrong with me showing my body before the person I love?"

"I…er…uh…" he is speechless and paralyzed, both touched yet in shock as Rei was seemingly oblivious to the fact that he was uncomfortable with her standing there half-naked.

"Shinji-kun?" says Rei, tilting her head as she looks at him in a puzzled manner, "I still do not understand why you are uncomfortable with me showing my body."

"Well the thing is…" Shinji struggles to find the words, "I'm just not used to seeing females half-naked I suppose…"

Rei couldn't help but giggle, "You are very humorous when you are embarrassed Shinji-kun," she then walks up to him and wraps her arms around his chest, pressing her bare breasts against his exposed skin, "You do not need to worry about embarrassment, nor do you have to worry about me doing something you do not wish to do. Just enjoy life. As I have said before, do not dwell on the past, live in the present. In a manner of speaking what I said to you does have bearing. You should not be comfortable with what you have now; you should try to work with what you have, to build a setting that will bring you true happiness in the future. So please, relax Shinji-kun."

Shinji smiles as he slowly hugs her back, one of his hands slowly caressing the smooth skin of her back, "I'll try Rei-chan."

Rei pulls back enough so that they were facing each other, "Good. Now let's get to bed. It is late." Shinji nods as he pulls back, stripping himself of his socks and dress pants. Clad in his boxers, he follows Rei, turning off the lights before he does, into bed. Rei slides into bed as she waits for Shinji to follow in. He quickly gets into bed, drawing the covers over them she he wraps his arms around her, as she snuggles herself closer, pressing her soft breasts into his chest once more.

"You know, after you get used to it, your breasts feel kinda soft," Shinji quietly comments.

Rei looks up at Shinji, "Would you like to hold them?"

Shinji blushes deep crimson, matching the shade of her eyes, but nods. Rei shuffles away a bit, as Shinji slowly brings a hand in front of her as he slowly approaches the tender area that is her breasts. He takes a deep breath before placing his hand on her, eliciting in Rei gasping in minor shock.

Shinji instantly pulls back his hand, "Sorry Rei-chan."

She however shook her head, "Do not, apologize Shinji-kun. I was simply overwhelmed by the feeling. Please, continue." Shinji lets out a sign as he places his hand on her breast once more, as he let's himself become comfortable with the feel of her skin underneath his hand. He then presses in a bit more, realising just how soft they were. Not knowing what to do, he lets his instinct guide him. He started to slowly massage it, as Rei quietly moans in blissful pleasure. Shinji couldn't help but smile as he knew how he was making Rei feel comfortable.

Coming up with an idea, he turns Rei over so that she was on her back, and he was on top, lowering his head to her right breast. He looks up to see her nod in permission. He smiles as he leans down and starts licking her nipple, flicking it back and forth as Rei gasps in surprise and pleasure, as she entangles her left hand into his hair while her right hand held on to Shinji's massaging left hand, as she guides him in his massage. Shinji then encompasses her nipple as he begins to gently suck on the rock hard protrusion, causing her to moan louder in sheer pleasure. Shinji then stops massaging her breast as he gently squeezes the nipple, twist it back and forth, resulting in further moans.

Rei continues to moan as she lets Shinji please her. She was in heaven. She only heard and read of such pleasurable things but to experience it was a whole other subject. She could feel Shinji's tongue play with her nipple, flicking it back and forth as he continues to suck on it, enjoying the sweet flavour of her skin while his hand played with the softness of her breasts or teasing her erected nipple. She could feel herself getting wet between the legs as she continues to moan louder, now entangling her other hand into his hair, pressing his head closer into her breast.

Shinji's free hand up until now which had been doing nothing except for holding on to her shoulder, started to snake down, caressing her abdomen as he trails downwards. He reaches the hem of her panties and is about to continue downwards when he feels Rei slightly dig her nails into his head. He looks up to see Rei shaking her head. He smiled inwardly glad Rei would not let everything happen to her. And in accordance to her wishes, Shinji removes his hand from her panties and starts massaging Rei's right breast while he moves on to play with her left breast.

Rei continues to moan and groan as Shinji continues to massage and gently suck on her breasts. However he soon moves on and starts to trail kisses up along her chest, reaching up to her collarbone where he starts to kiss along it until reaching her shoulder, then along it to her neck where he starts to suck on a particular spot on her neck. Rei suddenly winces in pain, moving her neck away from Shinji's mouth and placing her hand over where his mouth just was.

"Why did you hurt me Shinji-kun?" Rei asks, rubbing the spot where Shinji had just sucked. Shinji simply giggled.

"What is so funny?" she asks, somewhat hurt.

"I just gave you a hickey Rei-chan," he calmly replies as he lays himself down next to her.

"A hickey?" now feeling confused.

"Yeah, it's a sign of affection, and a sign of trust."

"I do not understand."

Shinji let's out a sigh, "It's simple. Since I gave you a hickey, it's my way of saying that your heart is mine, no one can touch you. In your case, it's your way of saying you allow me to touch one of the more sensitive parts of your body, besides your privates. It's simply just a bruise, and better that I did it that way than nibbling on it."

"I see," she pauses a moment, "How does one create a hickey?" Shinji starts to laugh, "I am serious, Shinji-kun. How does one create a hickey?"

"It's just the way you ask," he replied after a moment of laughter, "You always ask in an objective manner."

"I will aspire to change my ways of asking things."

"No, please don't," Shinji replies, placing a hand on her cheek, "I love you, just as the way you are," he then tilts his head to expose more of his neck, "Now, have your mouth form and 'O' shape, then place it on my neck," doing as Shinji instructed, she had her mouth form a circular shape, placing it on his neck, "Now just suck on it hard for a bit, or until I tell you to stop." She starts to suck, and a moment later it started to hurt, but he let her continue a bit longer as she was gently licking the spot and he found it comforting. Soon she stopped and removed her mouth and looked at the spot she was just sucking, to see a circular red spot on his neck.

"And that is how you make a hickey."

Rei smiled at her handiwork for a moment before she rested her head upon the pillow again, snuggling herself closer to Shinji once more, "I love you, Shinji-kun."

"I love you too, Rei-chan," holding her closely to him, "And Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas to you too," Rei replies, closing her eyes, letting sleep take her. Shinji carefully undoes the clasp for her necklace, placing it on the night stand behind him, then turn his attention back towards Rei, as he kisses her on the forehead one more time before closing his eyes and letting sleep take him as well.

**DONE! BLOODY FUCKING DONE! OMG THAT WAS A PAIN TO WRITE! In a manner of speaking. It took me two whole weeks to complete. Yes, THREE WHOLE WEEKS! I started to write it on paper during my last week of school, during, in between, and even at night, up to the part of where Fuyutsuki shows up. But then I had huge problems during the second week, as I had work, my mom's homework, and sleep, that it took me longer than I wanted it to.**

**Anyways, I hope that you guys enjoyed the special, and hopefully I will make a New Years special. If not, oh well, I'll see you guys in the actual Chapter VII, Enter the 8th Child. Until then, Cheers , and have a Merry Christmas everyone.**


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